Recollection
by PuffleMuffin
Summary: The past may be in the past, but certain events will drag behind someone for as long as they live. All anyone can do is find a way to endure those agonizing memories. Unfortunately, soldiers may be the group that struggles most with this reality. OC based story. Will include original movie protagonists. Includes LANGUAGE and violence. A story open to ideas from anyone!
1. Recollection

**Chapter 1**

 **Recollection**

 _Starting off, I've never written a story like this one... EVER. So if you somehow come across this mobile-device-written fanfic, feel free to give: criticism, tips, plot lines, bad/good comments, characters, ideas, or nothing! (Or all of the above..). I should also say that, of course, I do not own anything when it comes to Zootopia. I don't want people shitting themselves because I didn't say that, so I said it. This will be OC based as I don't see many of these kind of stories out in this realm of fanfiction. Now don't cry, ill put the main protagonists of the movie into my story... But it won't be FULLY committed to the duo, mainly because there are enough stories about them already. Now sit back, relax, and read the tale (pun intended) of ... Just read the story.._

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Click. The sound of a radio turning on earned the attention of the five Marines inside of the stationary and armored Humvee. The static soon transmitted a calm and steady voice.

"Prowler-One, Prowler-One, this is Whiskey-Three. How do you read? Over." The transmission concluded with another click.

The radio operator efficiently took hold of his machine and pressed a button on the radio to return the call. The cheetah's steady voice spoke out from the now silent vehicle after the radio signaled it's transmission with yet another click.

"Whiskey-Three, this is Prowler-One. We read you Lima Charlie, over."

A buzzing static hovered over the radio as the squad patiently awaited for a reply.

Click.

"Roger, Prowler-One. Be advised, you have unidentified individuals Oscar Mike approaching your A.O.. Do you have a visual? Over."

A red fox raised a brow beneath his helmet at the transmission, his expression clearly showing his curiosity. He titled back in an attempt to look out the humvee window, his eyes squinting as he struggled to see past the sun's glare on the glass.

The cheetah looked up at the sergeant who was in command of their squad, who in turn, pointed at the fox and titled his head in motion for him to move. "Furrs, take a look." The timber wolf rested back against his chair and looked up at the second wolf within the squad that was operating the fifty caliber machine gun mounted in the vehicles roof.

"Keep an eye on him, Clawson." The second wolf, identified as Corporal Clawson, tapped his foot on the roof to let his superior know he understood his orders.

The cheetah pressed down the small button with his thumb to send another transmission. "Roger, Whiskey-Three. No visual on the individuals yet. Working on that now, over."

The fox stepped out of the humvee as the cheetah finished his transmission, removing the small mammal sized M4 Carbine from his uniformed shoulder as he shut the armored door behind him. His eyes began to scan the scene around him. Mud-brick homes were a small distance behind him as his squad had been posted along the gravel road that led into the small and Animalian protected village.

The hot and dry desert landscape then took over the horizon, only mountains as dry as the sand disrupting it. He lifted a gloved paw above his blue eyes to block the sun's rays from obstructing his vision as the blurry form of two tall figures seemingly waddled along the road. He turned back to give his squad a thumbs up, figuring those must be the unidentified individuals Whiskey three had spoken about. His ears flicked at the sound of a quiet hum from above as a sleek white military drone zoomed past at high altitude.

"Whiskey-Three, we have confirmed visual on the individuals, over."

A few seconds of scattered static came after the transmission.

"Roger that, Prowler-One. Proceed with usual protocol for village entry. Over." Another click.

"Wilco, Whiskey-Three. Out." The cheetah ended the transmission by letting go of the radio and giving a small nod to the timber wolf in front of him.

The private who drove the humvee stayed inside the safety of the vehicle while both the sergeant and radio operator leaned out of their armored doors and stepped onto the desert sand. Clawson had his large weapon sighted towards the two figures which could now be identified as camels, with dirt stained cloths flowing down their lengthy frames and surrounding their rounded muzzles.

The Fox, corporal Furrs, glanced to his left as sergeant Wulf came beside him holding his own standard issued M4 Carbine along his chest. Private Scratch held his radio on his back and lifted a paw above his eyes to get a better view of the duo moving along the street.

"Tawaqquf... Tawaqquf.. Stop!" Sergeant Wulf held a paw up, his fingers pointed up and his palm facing out as he motioned for the camels to stop moving once they came within a reasonable distance from the squad. The standard procedure was a full body search. If weapons or explosives where found the two would be considered hostile. The camels eventually understood what was being demanded of them and they complied, almost reluctantly.

"Furrs! Get up there." The fox glanced towards the sergeant to see he had pointed towards the camel on the right. Corporal Furrs immediately began move towards the tall mammal, shaking his head in a frustrated manner at the thought of running his paws higher than his own head to reach the camels armpits.

He squinted as he felt a beam of light reflect directly into his eye and his paw instinctively lifted up as if he were defending his it from a small attack. Furrs blinked the sudden flash of irritation away only to notice the camel had a small black flip-phone enclosed in his hooves which had reflected the light into his eyes just moments before.

His eyes quickly widened as he saw a thumb hovering over the 'enter' key on the device and his paws quickly fled to his weapon, lifting it up to point it at the camel and yelled out in a hoarse voice. "Put the phone down!" The Fox removed a paw from his M4 to point at the phone before violently pointing to the ground. "Put the fucking phone down!"

His squad sprung into action like a light suddenly being turned on. Clawson pointed his fifty cal. At the camels while both Wulf and Scratch hoisted the ends of their weapons up and towards the two individuals, making sure not to aim at their fellow Marine ahead of them.

"'Asfal! Down!" Furrs heard the sergeant speak behind him as he slowly took another step back, not wanting to be the victim of a suicide attack.

The camel's expression didn't change and he seemed to be holding onto his phone even tighter as the foreign soldiers yelled out at him.

Furrs attention was suddenly pulled towards the second camel as if seemed to produce a small explosive detonator out of thin air. The cylindrical object gleaned in the suns burning light as the mammal's dusty thumb hovered over a transparent red button. The camel had a blood chilling glare in his eye as he made eye contact with the young corporal. The Fox stumbled back in shock as the camel yelled out words that seemed inaudible to his fear-induced deaf ears. Time seemed to stop as the small click of the button being pressed from the mammal became the most terrifying sound a soldier could ever hear.

Click.

Corporal Furrs's vision was filled with a bright orange flash and crimson flesh as the smokey explosion sent him hurtling backwards in the air all the while disintegrating the two camels where they stood.

As Corporal North Furrs hit the compact gravel road with a sickening thud, he awoke in panic inside of his small apartment with a momentary flash of pain against his back. His body pressed down against his springy mattress as he saw only the white ceiling of his room.

He sat up with a stuttered gasp, throwing his blankets aside as sweat poured down his orange and white furred face. The sound of the bustling city of Zootopia slithering into his cheap home as he began to recollect his scattered thoughts.

North groaned as he realized he must have been dreaming and he threw his paws over his eyes and rested against back against the wall that his bed was neatly tucked against, uttering a few curses as he slowly began to calm down. "Agh! Fuck that..."

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 _Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Remember that this was all typed on a mobile device.. Not a computer where typing is easy.. Anyway! Further chapters may be longer, or shorter.. Depends on how I feel and how successful this story becomes. If you have any ideas for me, just say it! If you hate my story, just say it! I won't give a flying fart if you dislike it. Though I like knowing people enjoy it._

 _THANK YOU._


	2. Opinions

**Chapter 2**

 **Opinions**

 _That moment when you're halfway through with writing the second chapter and the WiFi cuts out, leaving you unable to save your progress... The one finger salute was my friend for the next five minutes after the traumatizing event. ANY-WHO! Here's the second chapter, a gift from me to you. Enjoy.. And ignore grammar mistakes... I KNOW there will be mistakes as I type away on my tiny touch-screen keyboard. If it bothers you do a major extent, please tell me and I'll do my best to fix it. (That goes with everything in this story)._

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North leaned heavily on the bathroom countertop as he stood over the dripping sink, staring back at his tired reflection. He groaned and rubbed a heavy paw over his eyes before peeling off his sweaty white t-shirt he had worn to bed. He let the shirt fall to the floor and did the same actions with the rest of his clothing before he kicked them against the wall and shuffled towards the blurry shower curtain.

His tail swished along the white tiled floor as his paw found the handle to turn on his shower. North flinched and flattened his ears against his head as the chilly water droplets sprayed against his face and he quickly turned the metal handle to the left, waiting patiently for the warm water to travel through the pipes of the apartment.

He lifted his paw against the water, shrugging as it seemed warm enough to comfortably enter the shower. He pushed the plastic shower curtain aside before slipping under the shower head. He quickly threw the curtain closed, not wanting any water to drip onto his clean bathroom floor, and began to scrub the morning sweat and smell from his orange body.

After applying a thick layer of shampoo and conditioner, he rinsed it all off and slowly turned off the water. He braced for the cold air outside of the curtain as he pushed it aside and quickly reached for his red towel that hung only a foot away on a hanger against the wall. After thoroughly drying himself off he stepped onto the dry floor and wrapped his towel around his waist.

A few minutes later he had migrated out of the bathroom and to his dresser that was tucked gently against the opposite wall that his bed pressed against. He was free from work today and so he kept his "Doe's Coffee Shop" uniform folded neatly on top of the wooden dresser. North didn't mind working at a coffee shop. All he wanted was extra money in his pockets and savings for a college education.

His earnings from his previous military career kept him easily supplied and the G.I. Bill could help fund some of his college funds, but he liked to be safe when dealing with green paper.

After picking out a nice red and white three-fourths sleeved shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, he picked up a green hat with a small logo stamped on the front. "Marines" was printed on the Animalian flag and North stared at the logo for a few long seconds. He closed his eyes and shook his head, resting the hat between his ears and fitting it comfortably on his head.

 _Gotta show respect somehow..._ North shrugged and stood up straight, raising a brow in the mirror that hung beside the dresser as he inspected how he looked. Nodding to himself in approval, he grabbed his plain white lanyard, which held his car keys and apartment keys, and wallet before walking to his room door and pulling it open.

 _Breakfast sounds great right now! I Better have gas in the damn car..._

North shut the creaking door behind him and used his key to lock it, twisting the knob a few experimental times to test if the key had done its job. Once satisfied, he strolled over to the elevator, listing off possible places to get a decent breakfast in his head.

 _Doe's.. Nah, I always go there... Probably because I work there..._

 _McRonald's? I'm not a fatass... They do have good omelets though..._

 _IHopp? I'm down for some pancakes..._

North taped the down button once he reached the elevator, tapping his foot against the carpeted floors as he waited for the doors to open. His ears perked as a small 'ding' came from the elevator and he took a pre-step forward before the doors even opened.

He yawned and leaned against the elevator wall, reaching out to push the '1' key on the list of floors to go to. The doors shut and the small box he stood in slowly slithered down the cord to the first floor, a catchy tune gently playing through the old speakers. He stood up straight as the elevator came to a stop and emitted another ding to signal it's arrival to the floor he wanted.

North moved right behind the doors and took a shuffling step forward as they gently began to part ways. His eyes widened as he was suddenly taken by surprise as a grey blur pushed past him into the elevator and he lifted his arms in the air to avoid accidentally hitting the bunny. He stepped out of the elevator and turned his head to raise a brow at the small, purple-eyed mammal who wore a nice grey and purple shirt with tight blue jeans. He let out a small grin as she turned around with rushed motion and began to apologize.

"Oh! Excuse me! I'm sorry! I.. Uh.. I forgot my keys.." The bunny pointed upwards in a direction that seemingly must've been towards her room, a hurried expression sticking to her face as her ears twitched in apology. North just let out a small "Ha!" Before waving his paw dismissively and turning away from the elevator.

"Eh... You're excused." He smiled at his own humor and strode away from the confused bunny and closer to the apartment door. His billed hat kept the sun from stabbing his eyes with light as he exited the building, though he still blinked a few times to adjust to the new levels brightness.

After taking a sharp left and sticking his paws into his pockets, he traveled down the heated sidewalk towards the small parking lot located beside the apartment complex. He swung the keys of his dull red, 2008 Zoobaru from his pocket as he neared his car. His hand glided along the side of the vehicle until it reached the protruding handle, which he pulled to open the door.

North closed the door as his tail tucked safely away from the hinges and his fingers were stabbing the key in the ignition. After starting the car, he maneuvered swiftly out of the parking lot and took a right turn on to the main straight that connected most of Savannah Central. He flicked on a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses and gently turned on the dial to his radio. He groaned as overplayed Gazelle songs cluttered every station he switched through and his tail twitched in agitation as ads for items like jewelry or insurance blocked the other stations that were probably playing the same songs.

He eventually gave up hope in finding a decent station and turned off his radio with a frustrated turn of the dial. He was already at IHopp by that time and his search for a good song would now be as pointless as using a broken condom. He rolled into the breakfast restaurant's freshly paved parking lot and easily found an open parking space tucked in the back corner of the pavement.

After shutting off his car and making sure the doors were locked, North completed a clean one hundred and eighty-degree heal-turn and made his way toward the IHopp main doors. He was surprised to find almost no line for seating and was ushered to a table of his own by a friendly female pig, her warm smile and hospitable nature making North feel comfortable as he sat down on the cushioned chair.

"My name is Tina, ill be helping you with your order today!" The pig set a laminated menu in front of North who nodded gratefully in response.

"Would you like anything to drink right away?" Tina asked with a bright smile as she lifted a small notepad and a blue inked pen.

"Just water, please." North couldn't help but return the smile to the friendly waitress, giving her another nod of thanks before indulging himself into the menu.

"Alrighty! I'll be right back!" Tina scribbled on her notepad and quickly turned towards the open kitchen to get his drink. North's eyes scanned the menu, flipping it over in his paws multiple times as he struggled on which meal to choose.

 _When did choosing what to eat become so hard? Screw it... I'm going with the lemon pancakes..._

North set down his menu, folding it up neatly as he waited for Tina to return to his lonely table. He smiled as he saw her joyful form turn the corner from behind the kitchen holding his water in her grip. As she reached his table, she set the glass up in front of him and put her hooves on her hips while holding her smile.

"Here's your water! Are you ready to order?" Tina once again pulled out her notepad and pen, patiently waiting for a response.

North nodded and slid the menu across the table towards her, glancing up at her as he relayed his order. "Yes! Uhh.. Can I have those lemon pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side?"

"Of course! I'll go get your food ready for you right now!" Tina clicked her pen and stuffed it into her apron pocket while she grabbed North's menu. She then quickly turned around and walked to the kitchen to prepare his meal and left him with only his thoughts and phone.

North rocked gently in his chair as he patiently waited for his breakfast. He felt no sense of urgency in his hungry mood as he lifted his gaze to watch the thirty-inch screen TV that relayed the news. The sound was muted, but small white subtitles quickly slid on and off of the screen as the anchors of ZNN did what they were played to do, report stuff to the public.

North picked up pieces of a story behind a wolf being sentenced to life in prison due to the attempted murder of a small rodent. He saw flashes of video from a large car accident down on an outer highway leading to Zootopia. North also saw a snippet of news about a goat's one-hundredth birthday.

Though his attention was suddenly interrupted and changed as a young, seemingly teenage, doe wearing a leather vest and ripped jeans stood beside his table, crossing her arms as she started down at North with a distasteful expression. North tilted his head and raised a quizzical brow at the doe as he saw her out of his peripheral vision. Her makeup covered expression seemed crunched up as her brows seemed quickly squish together as she saw his confused expression.

"Uhh... Do you need something... Miss?" North stopped rocking in his chair and turned to face the doe, leaning with his elbow against the tippy wooden table.

"What are you wearing?" The doe's annoyingly high pitched voice asked as she pointed a stiffened hoof at his hat. North's eyes widened at her question as he was expecting her to ask him to stop rocking in his chair. He lifted a paw to his hat and pointed at it himself as he clarified her question.

"This?"

"Yes... What else would I be pointing at?"

"You're asking about my hat?"

"Obviously you dumb fox! Why the hell are you wearing it?"

North was taken back by the strange doe's hostile tone and he had to take a small and calming breath before answering. "It's a Marine Corps hat... I wear it because I was in the Marine Corps... You gotta problem with that?"

He instantly regretted his last statement as the doe's hooves flew to her hips and her expression turned into an angry frown. Her ears seemed to be having an epileptic attack as her words came out in flustered phrases.

"What? You're damn right I do! Who-who do you think you are, huh?"

 _Oh! Triggered!_ "Miss... I don't have to tell you who I am. And if you're gonna throw a tantrum, could you do it outside so the rest of us could eat our food in peace?" North sighed as he turned away from the now petrified doe, her previously confident form now erect with anger and stubbornness.

 _She's like a deer in headlights._ North had to hold back a small grin as his offensive pun made him internally laugh. He cringed as the doe let out a loud "Hmph!" And stomped a hoof on the ground as he tried to ignore her. She began to turn away and mumble to herself, but North's great sense of hearing picked up phrases that made his chest spike with a quick and uncontrollable anger.

"Pup killing, country invading, murdering son of a bitch."

North quickly turned around in his chair, his ears pinned against the back of his head as a small and angry growl emitted from his throat. "Hey! Without all of those 'pup killing' sons of bitches, you probably wouldn't be living in this free country today! So shut your naive little mouth and sit back down!"

North's tail twitched in a growing anger and his eyes held a gleam of hate for the doe as he watched her surprised shape turn to stare at him in shock. Her widened eyes and offended posture gave North a small feeling of satisfaction, which he felt only a small twinge of guilt for.

"They died so you could enjoy talking like that! Now turn around and go sit back down!"

The doe gave North a glare of deep repugnance and distaste. Her eyes squinted and her face wrinkled up in anger and she quickly grabbed her bag off of the table she had previously been sitting at before. She then hastily left the restaurant with her head held high as she visibly struggled to keep her calm.

The entirety of IHopp had gone silent from the loud exchange of words and they now all stared at the young fox who turned back in his chair and waited patiently for his lemon pancakes.

North groaned and rested his elbows on the table while laying his now heavy head on his paws. He fought to keep his thoughts straight as flashes of his own sacrifice and his friends threatened to flood back into his exhausted mind.

He raised his head and managed to force a grateful smile as Tina kindly came to his table with his meal, and gently set his plate with lemon pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of him.

"Um.. Would you like a refill on your water?" Tina smiled patiently as North realized she, and everyone else in the restaurant, had heard his vocal fight with the doe. He sighed and nodded, allowing her to take the cup.

"And... There is a military discount." She added as she quickly turned to go refill his cup with water.

North only nodded in reply, happy to know that at least IHopp respected who he was. He was upset by the thought that some of the mammals inside his own country did not.

He was eventually able to finish his breakfast and give Tina a generous tip before he left the restaurant. His paws were stuck in his pockets and his tail hung dead behind him as he shuffled to the parking lot. North took a large breath as he entered his car, flattening his ears as he saw the time printed on the small digital clock on the dashboard.

 _Only nine-thirty? Fuck. Only nine thirty and I've been called a murderer. I think I'd rather be that one-hundred-year-old goat right now instead of myself ... ._

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 _That's chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed it! I won't be posting another chapter for a couple of days because of things I've got going on in my life. (Yes, I have one of those). Keep feeling free to give tips, ideas, criticism (Remember I'm writing this on a mobile device), ETC.! Thank you!_


	3. Prized Possession

_**Chapter 3**_

 _ **Prized Possession**_

Enjoy!

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North's ears hung behind his head as he plopped down onto his small leather couch with comfortable sigh. His weight slowly compressed the red colored cushions as he leaned back and crossed his right let over his left. He lunged forward to grab the Tv remote from the small coffee table, his fingers outstretched and his back strained forward as he felt too lazy to un-cross his legs to make the task easier.

He grinned and perked his ears in success as he managed to obtain the remote before he leaned back into the couch and flicked on the power button to his Tv with his thumb. The small living room television sparked to life from its place on the wall as it hung there with a sturdy, and extendable, wall mount.

North wiggled deeper into the couch cushions as he flipped through the channels, his right foot gently tapping against the thin air of his apartment as his thumb went to work on the remote. Flashes of ocean documentaries along with space sci-fi movies covered the channels while the occasional cop show interrupted the stream of family sit-coms and dramatic hospital shows. His tail swayed gently against his wood floors as he found that none of the current viewings interested him.

He finally landed on ZNN, the Zootopian news station, and tossed the plastic remote to the side. He crossed his arms and rested his head back against the couch as he gave his gradual attention to the current events.

A snow leopard spoke professionally in the background of North's thoughts as he internally groaned from the sight on the Tv. In the majority of the screen, a scene of a slightly violent protest taking place in front of Zootopia's city hall showed clearly to the viewers of the broadcast. Mammals wearing all black and holding signs saying "Reelection!", and "Not my mayor!", filled the street as they chanted something inaudible while blocking traffic at the same time.

"Mammals from around the city are gathering in front of city hall as they protest Mayor Black's election. The ZPD have already arrested three mammals with charges of assault on supposed Black supporters . . ." The snow leopard continued to report the information given to her as North ran a paw over his frowning face.

North knew that the new black bear mayor had a reputation for being rude and strict, but he also knew he was a very successful politician and business man. Many prey species and predators alike disliked the idea of a mayor who had been pinned as "speciest" running their beautiful city, but North grew to somewhat support Kevin Black. The other candidates had been boring, question avoiding political machines, only saying what the mammals wanted to hear to earn their vote instead of what they truly believed they could do. Of course, North didn't support everything about Mayor Black, but he wouldn't go out a violently protest against him.

 _Give the guy a chance! He'll be good for the city in two ways for certain. One, we might find out that mammals like him are bad leaders and we'll know not to elect more like him. Or two, we'll find that mammals like him are good for leading our city and put him up for reelection! Riots are such a waste of mammals lives.. You can't change anything by hurting your fellow citizens_.

North continued to rant on about his beliefs in his head as the riot scene slowly became replaced with other news. An otter had won five thousand dollars in a raffle, a lynx firefighter had saved an old beaver's life by dragging him out of his burning home, ZNN was hiring a new reporter, and so on.

His thoughts were interrupted as his phone began to buzz inside of his shorts pocket. His ears twitched and perked up as he sat up straight an slid a paw into his shorts to pick up his phone. He grabbed the remote with his free paw and turned off the Tv while he glanced at the caller ID.

"David Clawson" was printed neatly onto the green glowing background of his smartphone. North saw the name and quickly answered the call, smiling to himself as a familiar voice returned his greeting.

"Yello, this is North, like the direction, how may I help you?"

"Hey, North! It's David!"

"Dude, I know it's you. I have caller ID."

"Then why did you ask who I was?"

North chuckled and shook his head at his friends question. "I didn't... I asked 'how may I help you?'"

North heard a small "Oh!", from the other end of the call before he heard the wolf laugh.

"Pfft.. I knew that - Anyway! Dude, I got your bike all tuned up! She's ready to ride and is waiting for you up at my shop! I thought I'd call and let'cha know since I finished early."

David was a mechanic in the same squad North was in during his deployment and their friendship had grown close after they had returned home. After hearing this news, North stood up and his mood instantly lit up brighter than before. His tail swisher happily along the small multi-colored rug between the couch and coffee table as he shuffled out from between them.

"Sounds great! I'm able to come pick it up right?" North's thoughts became filled with anticipation of riding his bright red Kawazaki Ninja as he started to walk towards his apartment door.

"Of course, man! Hop over anytime that works for you."

David's shop was only a few blocks down the street from where North currently lived and he planned on walking instead of driving there as to avoid the hassle of getting his car home.

"Okie dokie, Ill be over in like, ten minutes or so." North grabbed his lanyard and opened his door, locking it behind him as it shut with a small click. He heard David chuckle at his response.

"Alright man, I'll talk to you soon." North hung up the call, stuffing his phone in his pocket as he migrated to the elevator. He had stored all of his biking gear at David's shop so he carried nothing with him except for his keys, his phone, and his wallet.

His foot tapped impatiently on the creaking wood floors of the hallway as he waited for the elevator's silver doors to slide open. His foot stopped its tapping as the familiar ding of the elevator reached his ears. North quickly bounced into the small room while the doors slowly opened to let him enter.

He jammed a finger into the floor '1' button and leaned back against the protruding railing on the wall. He held a happy smile on his face as he almost wiggled with excited energy. His motorcycle had been damaged in a small parking accident where an old and stubborn racoon had accidentally drove into his parked, small bike beside a grocery store. The old fart had then proceeded to blame North for the accident, implying that he had parked his bike too far off of the curb.

All in all, the conflict ended with the racoon paying for most of the damage done to his beautiful bike and left North to drive his older car for almost a month and a half while it was being repaired by his David at his shop.

North slid out of the elevator as it reached the first floor and he quickly made his way out of the apartment. He took a sharp left and started to follow the sidewalk down the main street that connected multiple apartments and a few low-grade homes. He nodded in a cheerful greeting to a few other pedestrians that gladly nodded in return, except for the occasional asshole who gave North a glare.

He practically began to skip and his expression showed his obvious excitement as he caught sight of "David's moto-shop", and he started a small jog as he neared it. David, a muscular grey and black wolf, was already outside of a the blue painted building and stood next white garage door. He wore a blue and motor-oil-stained shirt with dark blue jeans and had a gold colored watch strapped along his right wrist. North outstretched his arms and let out a large smile in a wide greeting as he watched his friend notice his speedy arrival.

David mimicked North's greeting as he took a few steps towards him, a friendly smile and happy expression displayed across his face. "Heeey! How's my favorite fox?"

North laughed and brought his arms back down to firmly grip David's paw in his own for a warm handshake. He shook his head and hooked his free arm around the larger wolf in a grateful and joyful hug before stepping back and crossing his arms with smile.

"Eh, I haven't found a girlfriend yet, soo.." North shrugged and flicked his tail, holding a grin as David released a single "Ha!", from his response.

"Well, I have no doubt you'll be picking up all the girls with your bike back, eh?" David slapped North teasingly on the back before ushering him to the garage door. "She's as good as new! Got all those broken parts fixed and even got it repainted. That old dude accidentally gave us WAY more money then he needed to, but I'm not complaining."

The wolf grabbed a small handle on the garage door before heaving upwards with a small grunt of effort as he lifted the heavy door upwards. David gave the door a solid push before letting the door slide into the ceiling with its newfound momentum.

North almost jumped into the air with excitement as his vision locked into the seemingly brand new, red and black painted Kawazamk Ninja. He shuffled over to his bike and ran a gentle paw over the seats before lifting a thankful gaze up to David, who had put his paws on his hips and was watching the reunion between North and his motorcycle with a satisfied nod.

"Dude! It looks brand new! Damn, it looks fantastic!" North leaned the fox-fitted bike downwards to allow him some room to step over the seat and sit down. He started in approval at his prized possession and reached down in his pockets to grab his wallet. He quickly flashed out his debit card and handed it over to David, who accepted it with a proud and toothy smile.

"I know.. I'm the best." David teased as he turned around to go bill North for his tip. He returned in a matter of minutes, carrying North's backpack filled with gear and his debit card. He handed North both of the items as he stepped off of the bike.

North eagerly opened the black backpack and kneeled down beside it. He smiled ear to ear as he pulled out a slick white protective jacket and padded pants that were made to look like regular blue jeans. Small foot pads that were fitted for North were farther down in the bag and he shook his head in a happy manner as he found the keys sitting in a smaller side pocket.

He raised his gaze up to David as he saw him move closer through his peripheral vision. David held out a clean black helmet with a dark tinted visor that connected from the forehead to a slightly extended bottom chin to make room for North's muzzle.

North seized the helmet and took back his debit card, once again shaking his friends paw with a wide smile. "Thanks again, David! You have no idea how long I've wanted to ride this thing!"

David shook his head and accepted the pawshake with a small chuckle and a flick of his tail. "Ooh, I could guess 'round a month and a half?" He slapped North's back once again before crossing his arms and taking a few steps back from the back. "So, you gonna ride her out of here or what? You're not my only customer you know."

North sat up straight and quickly stood up at David's teasing reply, waving a paw dismissively as he did so. He grabbed his jacket and slipped on over his shirt and slid the padded jeans over his shorts. He grabbed his gloves which were tucked safely inside of his helmet before sliding the padded helmet over his head. He bent down to strap in the foot pads before standing up straight to stare at his friend from behind the tinted visor.

"How do I look?" North stuck his hips out to the side and ran a caressing hand down his side and leg as he gave David a humorous pose, his tail swaying along the concrete floor. David responded with a shake of his head and a paw to his face as he almost cringed at North's posture.

"Dude, all the girls are just gonna fall into your arms lookin' like that. Maybe some of the dudes too." He gave North a teasing wiggle of brows while North responded with a big thumbs up.

"No homo. Fuck that."

"Ha! Literally . . . "

"If you keep this up I'm gonna start thinking you like me."

"North, I'm married.."

"She doesn't have to know!"

David closed his eyes with a groan, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes at North's sense of humor. "God, man.. Get a girlfriend."

North laughed within his helmet as he climbed into his bike, running a gloved paw down the smooth side. "This is my girlfriend.. She lets me ride her al-!"

David threw up his hands, letting out a laugh and another shake of his head. "Dude! I get the picture! Just go enjoy the sun! And by the way, I get to ride her a little sometime, right? I did fix her up."

North chuckled to himself as he inserted the key into the bike's ignition, turning it with a flick of his wrist before returning his gaze to David. "Uh, sure!" His tail swayed in satisfaction as he felt the motorcycle turn on and rumble beneath him, and he grinned happily inside of his helmet as if he were a small child getting a birthday present. "You have a good one, David!"

North waved a paw in the air as he slowly pushed his foot off the ground, gradually getting his bike to start moving. He saw David wave slowly in return as he leaned against the garage wall. He shifted gears and slowly put on the accelerator, slowly moving through the parking lot and towards the main road. He signaled to his right and waited patiently for the right moment to merge with the traffic. Once a large gap opened in the road, he accelerated forward and leaned to the right, easily gaining entry onto the black and well kept road.

He eventually came to stop at the stoplight and he leaned on his right foot to keep himself from tipping over. He looked down at his gas gauge after glancing at both the cars to his left and right. His shoulders slumped as he noticed he was already almost empty on gas. He realized David must have only filled the tank with only enough gas to get him home, and North shook his head in disappointment of himself for not checking the fuel beforehand.

North looked back up as he tried to gather where he was. He could see city hall, or more so hear it, a few blocks away as the protests continued to rage on. He knew there was a gas station across the street from the city hall building, but he hesitated before shrugging reluctantly at the idea of riding closer to the idiotic gathering.

"Damnit... Whatever, it's not like the protest will move into the gas station.." North spoke to himself as the light flickered a bright green. He lifted his foot and accelerated forward. He hurriedly signaled to switch to the left lane as he maneuvered his bike behind a rusty van that was tightly packed with small children of different species and an obviously annoyed parent.

 _Birthday party? No doubt._

North made a quick left turn behind the van before taking a quick right to peel into the gas station. The protests were now directly across the street from the mostly abandoned station as North gently came to a stop at an empty gas pump. He kept his helmet on as he didn't plan to stay for long as he stepped off his motorcycle and kicked down the kickstand.

He walked around the bike to stand in front of the pump. As his bike didn't take diesel fuel, North chose the only other option for gas, opening the gas tank lid and sliding the nozzle of the pump into his bike. His he heard the quiet woosh of gas gliding through the pump as he squeezed the large trigger and stood patiently as the money per gallon of gas added up.

His ears twitched gently from their tucked in position in his helmet as he let go of the trigger with a loud 'clink'. He tapped the nozzle in the tank to get every drop of gas into his bike before turning round to place it back in its respected place on the pump.

His attention was suddenly taken away from the pump as the gas station glass doors burst open, the small bells attached to it chiming away as two teenage mammals, one Tiger and one Antelope all dressed in black busted away from an angry Polar bear employee yelling at the top of his lungs.

"You little shits! The cops are on their way!"

North stared in horrid shock as the Lion turned to give the employee the one finger salute before tripping over his Antelope partner in crime. They tumbled down onto the pavement, and onto his bike, as their tangled bodies rolled along the ground.

North jumped back and practically yelped in the shock of the moment as his freshly renewed motorcycle came crashing down onto the concrete. His paws came to his helmet as he shook his head and looked between the thieves and his bike.

"What the fuck!" North quickly took a knee beside his wounded bike as he hoisted it back to an upright position. The Lion and Antelope had managed to climb to their paws as they too stared at the Fox and the bike in shock. North couldn't help but release an angry growl as his heart sunk at the damage done. The mirror was smashed and the fresh paint on the side was scuffed and scratched from both the fall and the lion's claws as he had been the one to collide fully with the bike.

North looked up at the two teenage thieves as he realized they were dressed like most of the other protesters at city hall. His growl became more focused on the two taller mammals as he glared at them through his visor.

"What the hell are you two doing? Look what you did to my bike! I literally just got this back!" North didn't care if the two teenagers were thieves, he was more angry about his motorcycle.

The Lion gave the Antelope a quizzical glance. The Antelope, seemingly having the same though process, turned with the Lion as they began to sprint towards the mass of people protesting. North stuttered and was about to follow the teens before he heard the familiar sound of a police siren.

His paws traveled to his hips as he saw the black and white squad car pull into the gas station and quickly cut off the two protesting thieves. The Lion skidded to a stop while the Antelope gasped and tripped over his own feet at the sight of the flashing red and blue lights. His face collided with the car with a dull thud, the second vehicle he had run into that day, before he bounced back against the pavement with a loud curse.

North watched in satisfaction as the two ZPD officers quickly jumped out of the large squad car with handcuffs at the ready. He was surprised to see the two mammals dressed in blue to be a bunny and a fox, a seemingly unlikely pair. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest as the Lion lowered his head shamefully, reluctantly putting his hands behind his back as the smaller Fox muttered a few words and locked the handcuffs around the teen's wrist.

The Antelope only wiggled around in protest as the bunny forcefully pulled his hooves behind his back and locked the metal cuffs to him as well. North heard the words "Dan, you're . . . stupid! How did you . . . Motorcycle?", from the angry Antelope before he was lifts to his feet.

North didn't listen for the Lion's response as he went back to staring at his bike. He shook his head in a frustrated manner before slowly unlocking the kickstand and gently wheeling it against the yellow painted curb. His tail flicked angrily as he kicked down the kickstand again, listening to it squeak loudly as it leaned gently to the side.

He was stuck wondering in his own thoughts on how to explain the event to David when he was interrupted by a small tap on his shoulder.

"Sir?" A calm, easy going male voice spoke out from behind North and he tilted his head before turned around to stare at the ZPD officer who was wearing a pair of silver rimmed aviator sunglasses. The Fox in turn took off his sunglasses, folding them up and slipping them into his pocket, and gave a small wave which North returned with a nod.

"Uhh.. What's up officer?" North took off his gloves before pulling the helmet from his head, rubbing out the matted fur the padding had left behind. As he was doing this, the officer shrugged and pointed to the bike behind him.

"Just got a question for ya. So, that's your bike?"

"Yes sir, that's my bike."

"Is it safe to assume those juvenile idiots are the ones that scraped it up?" The officer pointed behind him with a thumb as he mentioned the two teenaged protesters who where now being locked into the back of the squad car by the bunny officer.

"That's a safe assumption, yeah. Is there a way to get them to pay for it?" North set his helmet onto the leather seat of his bike and placed his gloves beside it.

The Fox sighed and shook his head. "Well, you got that baby insured?" North looked back at his bike before raising a brow at the officer.

"Of course I do. I'm guessing my insurance will have to pay for it?" He rested his paws on his hips and watched as the Fox slowly nodded.

"That's most likely what'll happen, pal. It looks to me like a broken mirror and a ruined paint job. That's not gonna be the end of the world for ya, right?" The officer gave a small but friendly smirk as he leaned to the side to inspect the scuffed up vehicle.

"Well I'd hope not, officer." North sighed and turned to glance at his bike. His tail gently swayed against the dusty concrete as he shook his head in a distraught manner. "I just got it all fixed up. Literally got it back less than an hour ago." He patted a gentle paw on the black seat, being cautious as if even the slightest touch could send the bike falling into a million pieces.

"Damn. That's a dagger." The Fox lifted a paw to scratch the back of his neck as a small smudge of understanding filtered through his voice. "Anyways, if you need anything related to the accident, don't be afraid to call city hall. They should have record of it by tomorrow after I finish filing the paper work. What's your name, by the way?" The officer stuck out a friendly paw and North accepted the pawshake as he nodded in response to the Fox's statement.

"North Furrs."

"Like the direction?"

"That's what I always tell mammals."

"Oh, that's interesting, but cool. The name's Nick Wilde by the way. Great meeting you, North."

"Likewise."

Nick grinned and put his hands back onto his hips and above his fully packed belt. "You got my partner Judy and I out of parking duty.. These protesters just leave their cars lying in the middle of the road, I tell ya!"

North chuckled at Nick's comment, glancing behind the officer to see his partner tapping her foot impatiently on the ground with her arms crossed tightly against her chest. Her ears were perked high into the air and her face was scrunched up as she watched the two foxes have a conversation. He shook his head he he realized the bunny could probably hear them and he nodded in agreement with Wilde.

"Oh, I don't doubt it! Protests are just annoying.. Stopping traffic, stealing shit." North motioned to the gas station and then to the protest behind Nick. He shook his head before raising a paw to point at the bunny officer. "And I think your partner is pissed?"

Nick's ears perked and he quickly glanced behind him before lifting his paw towards his partner as if to tell her to 'slow down' before turning back to North with a role of his eyes. "She hates it when I talk too much.. Anyway! Before I leave, could I write down a few things about your bike and registration? I need it for that paperwork. Ya know, gotta do it no matter how boring it is"

North grinned and nodded as he turned around to allow Nick to inspect his bike. As the officer wrote down the licence plate and described the damage done, North slipped off his backpack and placed it on the ground in front of him. He unzipped the smaller zipper and dove his hand into the pocket as he searched for the insurance and registration. He lifted up a plastic bag and flicked his tail in approval as he saw the necessary papers inside.

He handed Nick the bag and gave him another pawshake as he left to go make a copy of the papers. North watched as Nick was confronted by his partner as she punched his arm and crossed her arms again as Nick replied with a visible, but inaudible,"Ow.." as Nick ran the papers into a computer inside the squad car.

A few minutes later Nick returned to North and handed him the plastic bag with his insurance and registration. His drivers license could be searched up in the ZPD office. Nick gave North a pat on the back, a "good luck with that bike", and the city hall contact number before turning to leave.

North watched with his ears folded against his head as the squad car left the gas station. He internally groaned as he pulled out his phone and began to search for David's contact. "He's gonna be more pissed about this than I am!"

* * *

 _There you have it! I introduced the main duo of Zootopia! I want them to be somewhat involved in this story, but I will still make this based off of North and his experiences. Be ready for future conflicts about PTSD and coping methods in the near future. Hope you enjoyed this longer chapter! Feel free to give me ideas for the story as I'm building this as I go! Criticism is always good (Still typing on a mobile device) and so is positive feedback!_

 _Thank you!_


	4. Disorder

**_Chapter 4_**

 ** _Disorder_**

 _"_ _Even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can. That, my friends, is called surviving. Not healing. We never become whole again ... We are survivors. If you are here today... You are a survivor. But those of us who have made it through hell and are still standing? We bare a different name: Warriors."_

 **-L** **ori Goodwin**

* * *

North was paralyzed. He eyes frozen on the cheetah who lay struggling in front of him. He watched in almost a daze as the Corpsman hurriedly took charge of the situation. Corporal Sparks squirmed in pain as the Timber Wolf applied pressure to the wound located around the radio operators abdomen and did his best to plug up the hole in the tender flesh.

North watched in terrible fascination as his friend screamed out in pain while the Corpsman sealed the wound, knowing the bullet was no where to be found as an exit wound was spilling crimson blood onto the desert sand. North slowly looked down at his own paws, turning them over as he could barely recognize them with all of the blood, Spark's blood, that coated his fur and uniform.

His ears twitched painfully as the distant crack of firearms slowly came back into his fuzzy state. His standard and size fitted M4 Carbine swung gently by the straps that circled around North's shoulder while he stood quietly by his injured squadmate.

His attention was soon brought back to the Corpsman as he heard a commanding voice resonating from below him. "Hey, Marine! Help me role this guy over onto his side!"

North shook his head before quickly taking a knee beside the only mammal that could save his friend's fragile life. He firmly gripped onto Sparks's shoulder and began to hoist the cheetah onto his side as he coughed up small bouts of blood. The Corpsman did the same with the corporal's legs while at the same time applying pressure beside the exit wound.

"Alright, good! Okay, you hold him like that!" The Wolf positioned one of Sparks's arms out in front of him to keep him upright while North held onto his uniform and shoulder. A loud crack and a violent ZIP of a bullet flying past North's head made him suddenly duck his head, gently shaking Sparks as he did so. Sparks let out a numbed groan of pain from both the shake and the Corpsman's work on the wound.

North tried to look away from the bleeding injury. He chose instead to stare at his friends face. North felt his heart sink into his gut as Sparks chin was covered in layers of viscous blood and his eyes were barely held open with the little strength he had left. North tried to speak and comfort the cheetah, but he felt as if only hoarse vibrations escaped his muzzle.

"Klint, yo- gotta.. you gotta st-stay with me, pal.. Keep breathing.." North heard small grunts of frustration from the Corpsman, but he didn't dare look over to the wound. He kept his gaze locked on Spark's eyes as they slowly titled to look at him. His ears flattening farther against his head and his heart beating rapidly as sweat and blood poured down his paws and dirt-stained uniform.

Corporal Klint Sparks slowly turned his head, his pained groans slowly coming to a stop as his dreary gaze focused as much as possible on North. North made direct eye contact with his friend, his blue eyes locking onto the red tinted green eyes of his wounded comrade.

"F-Furrs? Am . . . I gon-gonna die?"

North's eyes opened in a dull flash as he quickly sat up in his sweat stained clothing and now body-odor-smelling bed sheets. His chest heaved up and down as he inhaled large panicked breaths as he slowly became familiar with his darkened surroundings. His alarm clock red '3:48 A.M.' and the moon shown fully through the heavy grey curtains that covered the small window in his room. His tail hung limp off the side of his bed, just like his thin blankets, as he slowly made his way off of his springy mattress.

His ears hung like heavy weights against his throbbing skull as he drew his paws over to cover his now watering eyes. North's emotions crashed against his chest like large waves against a sailboat. Sadness at the memory. Grief at his loss. Anger at his other emotions. Disappointment in himself. He growled in frustration as he threw a emotionally motivated punch at the thick air that hung around him like a curtain. He shook his head as he sat back down on his bed with a quiet squeak of the springs from his weight.

North let out a sob of angered grief. His hate for these reappearing memories grew like a tumor in his body as he rubbed his paws thoroughly through the fur on his head. He knew better than to close his eyes. He knew Sparks's dying expression would cling to the darkness his eyelids gave to him and he tried in vain to blink faster than normal to avoid flashes of it.

Groups of salty tears dripped down North's cheeks as he irritatedly brushed them away with his forearm. He stood up suddenly and began to pace the bedroom, his tail swaying slowly along the floor as he tried to calm himself down.

"Don't you fucking cry, North.. Don't be a bitch about it.." He held his heavy head in his sore paws as he eventually made his way to the bathroom. He flicked on the lights, wincing as the brightness attacked his already pained eyes. A growing headache slowly began to form behind his forehead and in the back of his brain as he reached a sweat and tear stained paw towards the wooden cabinet.

The cabinet opened with a small creak as the metal hinges rubbed together. North rubbed a paw over his eyes before scanning the shelf inside for an orange bottle. He reached out groggily and grabbed the prescribed anti-depressant pills and set them on the shiny white countertop, popping off the white cap from the container.

After running his paws in cold water underneath the bathroom sink, he bent over the counter to let the water fall into his mouth. He then quickly stood upright and poured two white pills from the cylindrical container into his paw, keeping the water tucked in his cheeks. He opened his mouth a bit as he slammed his paw against his muzzle and let the pills slip into his mouth.

With the help of the water, North swallowed the anti-depressants and crossed his arms on the counter. He groaned in emotional agony as he let his head fall onto his arms like a cushion. He took deep breaths, in and out, as he gradually began to recover. He sighed and slowly stood upright, staring at his exhausted and bed-headed form in the mirror.

"I look terrible.."

 _Not as bad as Klin-_ "No! Damnit!"

North slammed a shaking fist onto the counter, lashing his tail in self anger as the force of the pound shook the mirror. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, but instantly regretted that decision as Klint's fearful expression stabbed into his vision.

He opened his eyes and violently shook his head, squeezing his skull between his paws as he stumbled out of the bathroom. He needed a distraction as he waited for the pills release to take effect on his scarred body. He made his way to the couch in his tiny living room and eat down with a quiet plop of the cushions.

He rested his head back against the leather backrest and let the rest of his body remain limp within the cushions comforting grasp. North glanced over to the digital clock that rested neatly on a small and decorative table beside the couch armrest, sighing agitatedly as he noticed the date printed below the time.

"Agh! Just the best way to start off a work day.." North sat upright and stared at the red glowing clock. His head rested tiredly against the soft backrest as he watched time slowly progress.

4:05 . . .

4:15 . . .

4:30 . . .

5:20 . . .

North lost track of how long he had been awake. His eyes sealed closed by the power of exhaustion as the prescribed anti-depressant medication eventually did its work on his body. He breathed slow and steady while his ears twitched at the smallest breeze that the air conditioning circulated throughout his small apartment room.

A faint alarm eliminating from his bedroom gradually made its way into North's unconscious state and his eyes gently peeled open. The annoying and repetitive beep attacked his sensitive morning hearing and he slowly pushed himself up from the couch. He yawned and stretched his arms out to the side while he staggered forwards his room, his earlier troubles dug into the back of his mind.

North gave his alarm clock a glare of distaste as he made his way over to his small nightstand that was pressed against his messy bed. He lazily dropped his paw on the off button and sighed as the high pitched beeps finally finished their repetitive wake up call.

With work on the top of his to-do list, North slowly made his way towards the bathroom. Déjà vu from the nights, or early mornings, events poured into his mind as he locked the wooden door behind him. He didn't look in the mirror as he flicked on the light switch and made sure there was a towel hanging beside the shower. He then stripped himself of his clothes, kicking the smelly rags aside as he reached out for the shower handle and quickly turned it to the left.

North closed his eyes as the spray of cold water flew into his face as he waited for the water to heat up. His paw raised up against the falling droplets as he tested their warmth patiently. Once satisfied, he opened the shower curtain enough to get into the shower before he quickly shut it behind him to trap the water in the small space he stood.

After rinsing off his orange fur and scrubbing both shampoo and conditioner thoroughly around his body, he made sure he looked and smelt clean. He then slowly shut off the shower and embraced the cold air outside of the blurry plastic curtain. While he was in the bathroom, and his appetite was low, he quickly brushed his teeth and made sure he looked fresh for work.

North then dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist as he exited the bathroom. He did his best effort to not think of his dream as he made his way to his dresser inside of his bedroom. He let the towel fall to the floor as he slipped on fresh clothes and his brown work uniform. It consisted of clean brown pants and a brown collared T-shirt with a small "Doe's Coffee Shop" logo printed neatly on the upper right side of the shirt. He would be issued an apron at the shop and his similarly colored cap was in his car.

His ears dropped behind his head as his lack of sleep slowly caught up with him. His tail hovered slightly above the floor as he migrated slowly towards his apartment room door and opened it with a quiet sigh. After shutting the wooden door and locking it securely, North transitioned over to the elevator and down to the first floor. He gave a small nod to the occasional friendly neighbor, but didn't stop to chat as he shuffled out of the apartment and into the rundown parking lot.

Once he spotted his car, he groaned at the memory of his motorcycle being scraped up at the gas station mishap. He had called David and told him the story of the accident and was surprised to find that his friend had found the story more funny than aggravating. North remembered David had said he could repair his bike again in "about a week or so," depending on his other customers at his auto-shop.

He opened the red colored car and plopped down on the passenger seat with a small grunt, his fingers gently slipping the keys into the ignition while he closed the door beside him. He glanced up at the black-rimmed rearview mirror and gently fixed it's placement to make it easier to see his back windshield. He sighed and flipped down the sun visor from above his forward windshield and glared at his reflection in the mirror. He could visibly see the stress that lined his features and he shook his head as if trying to throw it off. North then forced a smile onto his face and tried to clean up his expression.

 _Attitude's a choice.._

With his parent's old saying embedded into his brain, North managed to temporarily push his own lowered emotions aside and bring up a small scrap of optimism.

 _Hm, Hazel's working my same shift.._

North smirked, only slightly, and flipped up the visor back onto its respected place on the car ceiling while shaking his head.

 _She's a fun fox to be around._

He put the car into reverse and pulled out the car from its parking spot and smoothly drove out onto the main roads surprisingly light traffic. He flicked on the radio and was happy to find a song that wasn't overplayed on the first station he switched to. He drove a couple of speedy blocks down the road, nodding his head slightly to the catchy tune of the song.

After taking an easy right turn onto a less populated street, his eyes caught sight of "Doe's Coffee Shop - Homemade and fresh." North never thought of coffee as being able to be "homemade" as he thought it all tasted the same, but he usually wasn't the one drinking the coffee he made at work.

He pulled into the shops tiny parking lot and stopped his car in the Employee Only section. He grabbed his work hat from the passenger seat of his car and grabbed his keys from the ignition. He dug a paw into his pocket to check his phone and the time, nodding in approval of himself as he saw it was 7:00 A.M.. Another reason why he didn't hate his job was because it didn't open at five in the morning.

North exited his car and pushed the door closed sith his knee while he locked the vehicle with a push of a button on his keys. After the horn honked once to signal it's doors had been locked, North pulled on the drivers seat door to double check. He always liked to make sure his car was locked, even if the machine told him so.

He made a neat heel turn towards the main entrance of the coffee shop and casually walked into work. He hadn't seen any other cars in the parking lot so he assumed he was the first mammal here. He pushed the automatically unlocked doors open and guided himself into the buildings breakfasty smelling interior. His eyes inspecting the clean and 'coffee brown' painted walls and wooden cabinets that were mainly there to give the workplace a home-like feel. The tan granite countertops stood proudly beside a glass container that had yet to be filled with snacks like cookies, muffins, bagels, and other morning meals.

Different sized tables what fitted a plethora of different species of animals, excluding excessively large or tiny mammals, were scattered neatly across the open space in front of the front counter.

The front counter held two black metal cash registers beside shelves that held small menus or newspapers and magazines. A comfortably lit sign with a creamy tan rim with the list of possible delectable foot items posted with their cheap prices hung behind the registers and shelves.

As North made his way behind the front counter, the different machines and containers holding coffee making supplies filed his view. Freshly baked cookies and muffins, delivered early that morning and dropped off at the coffee shop, stood ready to be placed out for show. Aprons hung neatly on hooks with wooden name tags on the wall beside North as he made sure all of the lights were turned on.

Once he knew the building was fully brightened, he grabbed the apron under his nametag and threw it on over his shoulders. He tied the small traps on the aprons sides behind his back with a professional bow tie knot.

His was midway finished with fitting and flattening out his apron and placing a pinned plastic nametag on himself when he heard the front doors open with a small chiming of the bells attached to them. North glanced up with a raised brow and saw an attractive looking female arctic Fox with bright green eyes dressed in her same work uniform as she hurriedly stepped into work.

"Agh! Sorry I'm late! I had car problems this morning." The Fox rushed behind the front counter and quickly pulled her apron from its respected hook that was boldly labeled 'Hazel'.

North shook his head at Hazel's rushed motions as she struggled to tie the aprons knot behind her back. "How's it goin' North?" Hazel raised a friendly smile at North as he walked over to help her tie the knot behind her.

"Eh, it's goin'. How about yourself?" North happily finished the knot comfortably behind her slender back before handing Hazel her hat which she kept on the same hook as her apron. The only difference between his and her hat was that her's had the label of "manager" printed on the front.

She gratefully accepted the hat before shrugging and walking towards the unpacked food items. "In the case of my car, it's not going!" Hazel grabbed a pack of chocolate ship cookies and began to gently place them out for show in the wide glass container.

North smiled at Hazel's response and stood beside her as he also began to set out food to be displayed. "Just bring your car over to David's shop. He'd probably fix it up for you with a discount." He finished displaying the blueberry muffins and moved into the plain wheat bagels.

"That's what I was planning on doing, if it didn't start again." Hazel began to move onto the raisin and sugar cookies. "If he doesn't give me a discount I'm gonna punch him right in the nose!"

North let out a quick laugh at her aggressive motives towards their timber wolf friend as he stood up after finishing his work displaying the food. "If you could reach his nose.." He grinned at Hazel teasingly as she gave him a small and friendly punch to his arm in return.

"Well, then I'll punch you in the nose." Hazel stood up after she finished sorting the food and gave North a glare as he raised his paws up in the air and waved them around in an 'Ohhh! I'm so scared!' fashion. He saw her role her eyes as she let loose a humored grin before she went to stand beside the first cash register.

The coffee shop wouldn't open until 7:45 A.M. and the clock read 7:30 A.M. on the cash register's small digital display. North yawned softly and rested his elbows out on the smooth countertop while crossing he legs, his right foot resting on its toes as he stared at the glass front doors ahead of him.

His ears perked up and at the sound of Hazel letting out a seemingly agitated sigh and his attention was soon drawn to her standing beside him. His tail flicked and North gave his co-worker a quizzical stare as he noticed that she had her phone out and was quickly taping her thumbs away on the dimly illuminated screen. He noticed the familiar text message display as Hazel sent rapid fire messages to a mammal on her contacts list.

"Ooooo! Hazel has her phone out! She's gonna get in trouble!" North practically yelled out his childish accusations to the empty coffee shop as Hazel smacked the palm of her white paw to her forehead. Her paw slithered down her face and muzzle as she gave North a tiny shake of her head and added a dramatic sigh.

"Boyfriend troubles.. Just one of those days!" Hazel crossed her arms and leaned down heavily on the counter top. North's mouth dropped open at the word "boyfriend" as he started at Hazel in shock. He had no clue she was in a relationship.

"B-Boyfriend? When did you get a boyfriend?" North placed his hands onto his hips and leaned against the counter as he tried to hide the sinking feeling of his current discovery. His tail twitched against his pant leg as he watched Hazel turn onto her side and give him a confused raise of her brows.

"Uh, yeah. Didn't I tell you this?"

North could barely contain his discombobulated thoughts as he tried to figure out whether to be happy for Hazel or be upset that he hadn't had the guts to ask his friend out first.

"What? No! This is all news to me.." He watched Hazel shake her head at his response as she stood up straight. Her arms crossed over her chest and her ears slowly lowered behind her head. She almost looked offended.

"Well, his name is Jackson. Jack. Jackaroo. Jackie. Whatever mammals call him. I met him about a week ago at this . . . Creative arts festival. Him and his weird ass band made me come up and sing in front of this giant crowd! It was so embarrassing!" Hazel lowered her gaze as she cringed and blushed at the thought of the obviously traumatizing event. "They said I was really good and apparently Jack's band members dared him to ask me out on a date. I'm not gonna tell you the rest because we're obviously in a relationship right now, but now he's all like, " She lowered her voice and widened her eyes, throwing her paws up in crazy jazz shaking motion as she seemingly imitated her boyfriend. "Oh! Gotta cancel that date night! The band got this gig outta town! Ha, love ya baaabbee!"

North was barely listening as he continued to try and wrap his head around the idea of Hazel having a boyfriend. "Well, what does he look like?"

Hazel paused for a second, her ears twitching as she thought quietly for a moment. She finally shrugged and decided to speak her mind. "I don't know if you agree or accept this kind of stuff, but he's not a Fox, I'll tell you that much. He's actually a Coyote. He always wears a hoodie.. He's got cute blue eyes.."

North almost sunk into an emotional depression as he struggled to stay positive as Hazel listed off things she liked about her new boyfriend. He forced his ears to stay still and held a positive but confused grin.

 _Are you fucking serious!? Obviously she doesn't think I'M cute.. I have blue eyes too! Damnit.. I'm getting jealous, I thought only females got jealous! Okay, good for her! I'm glad.. I'm glad she's in a relationship.._

 _"He's funny, he plays the guitar.."_

 _Why can't I play an instrument!?_

"He sometimes acts like a stoner sometimes.. But he doesn't smoke. I think he does it to be funny!" Hazel was about to continue on with her list of amazing traits of Jack, but North lifted paw up to stop her, his tail twitching instinctively as worked to keep the rest of himself positive.

"Okay, okay! I get it! He's a stoner acting, guitar playing, blue-eyed rich dude who likes his band a butt-ton. That's an impressive catch there, Hazel." North did his best to hold a teasing smirk to hide his truly disappointed feelings. "Can you get into all of his concerts for free or do you get a small 'girlfriend' discount?" His fingers bounced out a small quotation motion at the word "girlfriend" and his friendly playing hid his lowered mood.

Hazel groaned as North turned what she liked about Jack into something that was laughable towards. She ran a paw through the fur right above her white ears as she turned her shoulder away from North. "He's not SUPER rich.. And yes, I do get into his gigs for free!"

North didn't have time to throw out his own response as the bells signalling the front door had opened began to chime away. He raised a brow at the coffee shops first customer of the day, noticing the clock had changed to '7:45 A.M.' A young male cheetah with happy brown eyes who wore a plain green T-shirt and comfortable looking blue jeans walked casually up to the registers.

North couldn't help but stare at the young mammal, who seemed about the same age as himself, as a flash of his deceased friend Klint appeared in his mind. He hesitated before forcing his expression into a smile as he did his up most best to keep the depressing memory tucked tightly away.

 _He looks just like Klint!_

"He-Heyo! How can I help you today?" North stuttered as he greeted the friendly looking Cheetah who was now smiling and tapping his fingers on the front counter. North now noticed different physical features on the customer that Klint didn't have as the cheetah stood in front of him, but it didn't stop the small flashback attacks as North tried to do his job.

"Fantastic! Uh, could I just have a.. Uh.. Could I just have plain coffee with a chocolate chip cookie?" The cheetah tapped his paw on the counter as his finished his order and North nodded as he quickly poked a few keys on the register keyboard to find the total cost.

"Sure thing! That'll be four dollars and ten cents."

The cheetah paid in cash with a five dollar bill and North gave him the correct amount of change. Ninety cents. He then turned around, shaking his head as he moved toward the back counters to get the correct tools to create the cheetah's order. He didn't realize that Hazel was curiously inspecting him as she noticed a small change in his behavior and tone of voice, her brow raised in both concern and interest.

As North grabbed a firm, styrofoam cup to fill up with coffee. He sighed and let his tail hang limp behind him as thoughts of both Hazel's relationship and Klint bounced around his head.

 _This is already going to be a long day.._

* * *

 _Chapter 4! Sorry it took so long to post! I had tons of stuff going on this past.. However many days. Remember, feel free to give plot ideas, characters if you want to, criticism (I'm typing on a mobile device, keep that in mind), tips, good comments, bad comments, etc.. Anyway! Hope you enjoyed it!_

 _Thank you!_


	5. Stress Kills

**Chapter 5**

 **Stress Kills**

 _Nothing to say for this chapter. So just sit back, relax, and read on!_

* * *

The smooth, black paved road was lit with dull orange street lights as North drove home to his apartment complex. The moon, covered by dark and increasingly large clouds, gave almost none of its white light on the city of Zootopia as he stared silently at the yellow painted lines ahead of vehicle. The yellow light from the Zubaru's headlights reflected painfully off of any incoming street signs and the dying traffic made it hard not to speed down the empty road. His ears pinned against the back of his head and his eyes drooped with the weight of his thoughts, making the quiet ride seem irritatingly long.

North slowed down gently as an empty intersection light flicked on its bright red light, coming to a stop at a desolate crosswalk. He sighed and let his paws fall off of the now sweaty steering wheel as he leaned back against the comfortable plush driving seat.

Work had been uneventful, despite Hazel's nagging questions about North's suddenly fidgety behavior. His shift had gone all day, one of the longer shifts of the week. The clock on his car now read 10:30 P.M. as the red light seemed to be patiently waiting for North to turn green instead of itself. After seeing his deceased friend twice in one day, North had gone into a sulking and secretive mood. He had told Hazel that it was because of his ruined motorcycle, but that excuse seemed to go into one of her ears and out the other.

He had struggled to keep his anger cooled down as she had persisted on asking if he was "okay" or if "something had happened." With Hazel having no idea of his military background, North had no intention of telling her of his experiences or problems. She had a boyfriend she could be sorry about and didn't need to worry about an emotional Fox like himself.

North was about ready to begin cussing out the stoplight and drive through when it finally flickered into a friendly green light. He let out an annoyed "Finally!" as he threw his paws back on the steering wheel and dropped his paw on the gas pedal. He let out an exhausted yawn as he crossed the intersection and he groaned impatiently as he realized he still had a decent distance away until he got home.

 _Fuck it.. I'm swear I'm going to fall asleep.._

North gently pushed his paw farther down onto the gas pedal and listened as the engine let out a chuckled hum as his speedometer slowly rose to a solid fifty in the empty forty mile an hour speed zone. This part of the city was asleep. He had taken the back roads to his apartment instead of the main road for that exact reason. Five minutes had gone by, and now, suddenly, all of those stubborn stoplights stayed green as if allowing North to get home faster.

His sleep deprived, dull eyes were then quickly drawn to blinding flashes of red and blue in his review mirror as he cruised passed another intersection at a slightly higher speed. North stared in shock as the bulky police car drove quietly behind him and he cursed with a tired whimper. He angrily flicked on his right blinker and began to slow down, gently pulling off to the side of the quiet road.

After coming to a complete stop, North slammed a paw against his seat and rested his head against the soft headrest with a groan sent to the sky. His tail flicked impatiently as he waited for the squad car to stop behind him and glared into his review mirror as two mammals stepped out of the vehicle. He opened up his glove box on the passenger side of the car and leaned over to quickly grab a plastic bag that held his registration and insurance for his car. He continued to swear under his breath as all he wanted to do was to home and sleep.

"God damn.. Gonna get a fuckin' ticket.. Son of a bitch! Idiot! Today sucks ass!"

He slowly rolled down his window as the two officers eventually migrated beside his car. A bunny and a fox stood side by side, their blue and clean uniforms absorbed the red and blue flashing lights of their squad car as they stood 'all official-like' with their arms crossed. The Fox had on a pair of silver rimmed aviator sunglasses, which North shook his head at as he dug a paw into his pocket to retrieve his wallet.

 _Sunglasses at night? What are you, blind?_

"Pal, do you realize how fast you were driving?" The Fox asked him as North raised tired brow at the officer.

"Too fast?" He replied sarcastically as he finally was able to pull his wallet out of his squished pants pocket. He swore he recognized the two officers that stood in front of him as he watched the bunny shake her head at his reply.

"Fifty miles per hour! Ten miles over the speed limit, buddy." North watched as the rabbit uncrossed her arms and placed her small paws onto her belt, which seemed loaded with different buckles and pockets. "Just because the road is empty doesn't give you the right to speed."

"Good to know, officer. I'll make sure to keep that in mind next time I drive.." North didn't want to deal with this problem at the moment. He pulled out his drivers license from his leather wallet and held it up and out of the car window with the plastic bag he had retrieved earlier. "My licence and registration."

The Fox raised his brows at North as he realized they hadn't asked for either of the specified items, but he quickly grabbed them and turned to walk towards the squad car that continued to blind the streets with its flashing lights. His shadow dancing across the black road as his stride swayed gently side to side.

The purple eyed bunny gave a small glare at North from his response before turning to follow her partner. As they reached their vehicle to start the painstaking process of scanning his record and information, North finally recognized the Fox from when his bike was damaged, snapping his fingers and staring out of his windshield at nothing in particular.

 _Nick! Vick? No.. Has to be Nick.. Yeah... His name is Nick . . . Wilde?_

As his slowly deteriorating mind became distracted by solving the officer's name, he leaned back into his seat and stared at his car's ceiling, not truly focusing on anything except the other fox's name. His fingers tapped impatiently on his lap as he did his best not to fall asleep. His foot tapped repeatedly on the car floor as he tried to stay moving to keep awake.

His eyes were almost half shut, but quickly widened when the sound of a car door slamming closed stole his attention and caused his ears to perk up. He slowly sat up and glanced out his window as both of the officer's strode back beside his car. Nick had removed his sunglasses and had hung them on the collar of his uniform and the bunny still had her arms crossed as she seemed suddenly, but quietly, angry at something unknown to North.

North noticed a small grin from Nick as he handed back the license and registration of his vehicle. North slowly accepted the papers and gently set them in the passenger seat as he helplessly awaited the inevitable.

"Aren't you the Fox who's bike got trashed at that riot a few days ago?" North lifted a hesitant brow as Nick asked him the simple question. He sighed and slowly nodded in response, his ears flattened against his head at both the thought of his bike and the current situation.

"Yeah, that's me..."

 _Woopty fuckin' doo!_

North didn't feel like entering into a conversation as his body screamed at him to go home and sleep. His tail twitched and lashed beside him impatiently as his gaze stayed on the two officers.

"I thought you looked familiar. North, was it?" North knew Nick would know his name. It was on his license.

"Like the direction.. Yes."

 _We're gonna talk all night! Dang it! I should just ditch.._

"How's your bike?"

"It's still getting repaired." North noticed the bunny begin to tap her paw on the road as the conversation slowly began. He looked back up at Nick, unable to hide his tired expression any longer.

Nick rubbed a paw on his chin as he let out a small "Mhm" and a nod. North felt the officer's eyes scanning over him as he realized he probably looked as tired as he felt.

"I think I'm just gonna let you off with a warning tonight." Nick replied slowly as he let his paw fall to his belt while North gave him a quizzical stare that had a mixture of confusion.

"No ticket?" North had to hold back a giant fist pump as relief surged through his body. His ears perked happily and he gave out a tired, but happy, grin at the two officers.

"You got it. No ticket. You've probably got enough things to lose your money on with that bike being repaired and all." Nick returned North's grin as his partner shook her head in visible disapproval.

"You better not go speeding out here again, got it?" The bunny pointed a distasteful finger at him as he quickly nodded in his response. North could also tell that the smaller mammal seemed tired as well. Her long ears hung behind her head and her voice seemed to be as heavy as North's eyelids. He didn't blame her. Being a cop was probably hard work.

"Ten-four, officer. Thank you." North replied with a grateful nod and a small wave to Nick as they turned to leave. As he rolled up his window, he finally let loose his fist pump and let out a relieved, "Yes! Thank you, Jesus!" He slipped his license into his wallet, his wallet into his pocket, and his car into drive while his ears pinned against his head in exhausted happiness.

He flicked on his blinker and slowly began his drive home, keeping his car at thirty-five miles per hour, five miles under the speed limit. The two officers tagged slowly behind North for a few miles before finally peeling off to the right at yet another deserted intersection, in the direction of the city hall and police station.

After almost five more minutes of driving painfully slow, North saw his apartments come into view. A few more cars now sped down the more popular road as he pulled a sluggishly into the apartment parking lot. He stole an open parking space and flicked off the ignition with his right paw while unlocking his car doors with his opposite paw. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled out his keys and listened quietly as his vehicle instantly shut down.

He quickly opened the driver side door and stepped out into the dimly lit lot. Only one street light provided light for the quiet parking spaces while the dull hum of the occasional car passing by on the main road broke through the silence of the eerie night.

North didn't car for any of these details as he trudged towards the main door of his apartments after he had kicked his car door shut behind himself. His ears hung as low as his eyes and his tail drug along the cracked pavement with his feet as he slowly came to a stop at the glass front door. He fumbled his apartment keys away from his car keys as sleep threatened to consume him where he stood. After grabbing the correct key, he quickly inserted it into the keyhole and twisted it violently to the left. The door unlocked with a metallic click and he pulled open the heavy door while taking out his keys.

North nearly crawled towards the elevator, punching the 'up' arrow and grunting in satisfaction as the silver elevator doors opened instantly. He slithered into tiny space and pressed his thumb onto the floor three button. The elevator doors slowly closed with a small hum before the room was gently hoisted into the air and lifted up two stories.

The elevator announced its arrival at the third floor with a cheerful ding and North stumbled out of its doors as soon as they slid open enough to let him pass. He already had his room key at the ready and he opened it just like he had done with the main apartment door.

He slowly staggered into his apartment room, letting the heavy door close and lock behind him as his main focus was to locate his bed. His tail hung heavily behind him as his paws drug like loose weights below him as he pushed passed the wooden door to his compact room. The light from the dim street lights quietly pushed through the dark grey curtains that hung over a window in a comfortable orange glow.

North ignored the fact that he was still in his work clothes as he shuffled towards his bed, groaning in aching pain as his body collapsed in the welcoming embrace of his springy mattress. His pillows engulfed his head and his blankets hugged his tired body as he let out a content nod. His eyes sealed shut with exhaustion as his mind drifted off into sleep. He lay like a deformed starfish as his breathing slowed and his ears flopped limply to the sides of his head while he fell into the mercy of his memories and heavy sleep.

* * *

 _Sorry for this chapter being so short! I have a lot of events coming up this weekend and I was unsure if I would be able to post or type a longer chapter, so I decided to just post this short one instead! I'm currently planning another dream for North, hence me ending this chapter at this current spot. A grateful shout out to_ **poynton90** _for lending me useful information and great ideas for the future of this story! And hopefully I'm not making this look like Nick and Judy are the only cops North will encounter, I just felt like this would be a good opportunity to slip them into the story._

 _ANYWHO! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

 _Thank you!_


	6. Confession - PART 1

**Chapter 6**

 **Confession**

 **Part 1**

 _"_ _After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment."_

― **Judith Lewis Herman** , **Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror**

* * *

North groaned as the repetitive screeching of his alarm clock disrupted his uneventful night and tore away the comfort of his exhaustion induced sleep. His ears flattened against the back of his head as his gaze lifted to stare at the beeping alarm while blurry numbers flashed angrily on the digital screen. His paw lifted from his mattress in a desperate attempt to slap the snooze button and after a few failed swings, his finger finally managed to pound the alarm into submission as the snooze button clicked and shut off the annoying alarm.

He yawned and slammed his face back into the depths of his comfortable pillow, his paws tucking gently underneath it as if they needed warmth from the room temperature bedroom. His tail lay like a dead fluffy snake between his legs as he rested on his stomach, his work clothes clung uncomfortably to is body as he lay sprawled out on his twin sized bed and within his messy blankets. Luckily, he had not lost sweat during the night and his uniform could be considered mostly clean as he had work later that morning.

He groaned as he pushed his chest up as if he were doing a yoga-like pushup as he stared almost angrily at the now silenced alarm clock. He winced as he stretched his back before swinging his legs off of his mattress and onto the cold floor. His paws fled to his eyes as they tried desperately to rub the sleep away while he yawned once again. He gradually found the strength to stand up and he groggily migrated towards the bathroom door.

He managed to twist the door handle and pry the wooden door open while his other paw searched for the light switch in the dark room. He held his eyes shut as he flicked on the lights as the brightness of the bulb attacked his body.

He stripped off his work clothes and hung them neatly on a hanger along the wall. He grabbed a small can of Odor Killing spray from the bathroom counter and sprayed down the cotton clothing items to make sure they didn't smell terrible.

After that, he took a quick shower. He scrubbed down his orange fur thoroughly and rinsed out any soap he had used. He shut off the shower with a quick flick of the handle and grabbed a towel from another hanger beside his clothes that now smelt like an off-brand of Febreeze.

North dried off completely before sliding into his work clothes again. He flattened out the fur along his tail and face in the foggy mirror, nodding to his reflection once he was satisfied with how he looked. He then walked out of the bathroom, shutting off the lights and closing the door behind him as he did so.

He eventually migrated towards his dresser, where he had carelessly tossed his keys and wallet the night before. His phone was left uncharged beside his wallet and he groaned at the thought of having a low battery phone for the entire day. North grabbed his things, stuffing them into separate pockets of his brown pants, and turned to leave his apartment.

Once outside of the building, he trudged across the parking lot to his car, raising a brow at his terrible parking job. He had somehow managed to fill up the parking space by stopping his car diagonally in between the worn out yellow lines.

 _It's amazing what exhaustion can do.._ North had thought he had parked perfectly fine last night. He flattened his ears as he slipped into his car, opening the driver door with an annoying squeak of the semi-rusty hinges. He made sure his tail was inside the car beside his feet, as he had made the painful mistake before of slamming the car door shut on his tail, before he shut the door with a heavy pull on the leather handle.

North zipped down his seatbelt, stuck the keys in the ignition, and started the car with a flick of his wrist. The engine coughed and stuttered before roaring to life along with the radio that quietly sang a country tune, which North quickly shut off.

He stepped on the break, cranked the vehicle into reverse, and swerved out of his misused parking space before stepping back on the break, pushing the car into drive, and slowly driving towards the busy main road.

After merging into oncoming traffic, he began his morning route to work. The drive was smooth and uneventful, until he was slowly forced to a stop a few streets down from the coffee shop. North nearly flicked off the whole damn world as black clothed and masked angry protesters flooded the streets and yelled at innocent drivers who only wanted to pass through the pulsing mob of animals. He couldn't believe how persistent these mammals were! Constantly rioting, constantly blocking traffic, constantly being a nuisance! Luckily, North was parked at a standstill behind a few cars that took the brunt of the anger from the hopeless rioters.

"Fuck it! Ill take a different way.." He muttered to himself as he flashed on his right blinker towards the opened curb of a nearly empty gas station. He pulled into the lot and rolled into a U-turn. Luckily, no cars were behind him when he pulled into the gas station, so pulling out was easy as no cars had filled up the road he had to cross to get to the correct lane.

He flicked on his left turn signal, quickly checked for oncoming traffic and sped onto the right side of the rode. He drove straight for a couple of streets before taking another sharp left into an empty road that led down and behind the coffee shop.

Eventually, he made his way to work, running his paws down his face with a sigh as he tucked his car into an employee parking spot. He flicked the ignition off, pulled out his keys and opened the driver door. As soon as he stepped out of his car, the sounds of the protest attacked his ears like annoying insects as he realized the marching mammals were parading directly in front of his work.

 _Why the hell are we still open? I swear to God, if some lunatic tries to break in.. Imma smack a bitch up._

North growled quietly in annoyance as he slammed his car door shut and locked it with a push of a button, nodding in satisfaction as it honked out to signal that the button had worked and had locked all of the doors. He could already feel that today was going to be a long, but eventful day.

He stuffed his keys into his pocket and set a direct course for the back door, his tail hovering just above the rocky pavement and his ears pinned to the back of his head in a futile attempt to block out the protests.

He figured the day might not be all to bad, Hazel had the same shift again. He slowly closed his eyes and shook his head.

 _Ugh.. I feel like some high school kid with a stupid crush.._

* * *

 _ **A few hours later . . .**_

North leaned heavily on his forearms against the clean front counter with his elbows pointed in opposite directions. His tail hung behind him as his right brow raised while he watched the crowd of angry mammals grow exponentially through the building windows. Both prey and predators alike in dark clothing yelled out chants in unison, which annoyed his ears almost just as much as his alarm clock did.

Surprisingly, not many of the protesters wanted to enter the coffee shop. North assumed that many of the mammals thought the building would be closed like most other businesses around the same location, even with the small 'Open' sign that was stuck above the front door's metal handle.

Hazel seemed to be just as irritated as North as she leaned her back against the counter behind the cash registers, her kean eyes scanning over the same scene he was inspecting as it slowly began to unfold in front of them.

North shook his head and stood up straight, his ears pinning back against his head as he let out a bored yawn. He didn't care for any of the riots. They couldn't change anything even if they wanted too. He noticed Hazel's white shape move to stand beside him and he glanced over to see her rest her paws on her hips, her eyes squinted as they almost glared at the protesters.

"I wish they would protest anywhere else but here! I want work to go by fast, not inch along like a damn sloth!" North grinned as Hazel spoke out her frustration and chuckled quietly at the small speciest remark she made about sloths.

"Hmm . . . I wonder how many sloths you just offended in that already angry crowd." North responded with a teasing flick of his ears and a joking glance to his co-worker.

His grin grew into a smile as Hazel threw her paws into the air with a look that stated a loud, 'I don't care!' "I can offend a whole bunch of mammals right now if I truly wanted to!"

Her paws fell down from the air and landed against her chest as they crossed over each other. "These riots just end up turning violent anyways, and if they break anything in here, guess who has to pick it up?"

North raised a brow at his friend as she raised a pointed finger at him and matched his raised brow with her own. He raised his paws in the air defensively as if she were pointing a gun at his chest.

"Me? I don't like these riots either! And you're the manager, Sweet Stuff. You'd have to help." North crossed his arms and looked across to Hazel as she turned to face him completely and she shook her head with a quiet, but still still audible,

"Fuck that. . ."

North considered her quite reply as the end of the conversation and he turned back to watch the protesters continue their useless march. He was about to glance over to Hazel and begin another time waisting conversation when the loud and disruptive sound of a firecracker unexpectedly went off outside of the coffee shop.

He suddenly felt his heart skip a beat and his ears perked into the air as he was taken off guard by the noise. He felt a faint and uncontrollable fear rising in the pit of his stomach as his paranoid eyes searched for where the firecracker had been used.

 _Why the hell am I afraid of a firecracker?_

North glanced over to see if Hazel was experiencing the same confusion and fear he was. Her ears were perked and her tail was stiffened out behind her as her gaze scanned the windows for anything that could give her information on who had let loose the minny explosive. He noticed that she didn't seem scared, but more irritated and curious.

"Who in the hell . . ?" Was all North heard from her as he turned back to stare out of the window, his heart still pounding as he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

North didn't have time to respond as the sound of multiple loud cracks and tiny explosions rippled through the air as more firecrackers imploded outside of the building. Both North and Hazel were taken by surprise and frozen in shock as the loud scream of an illegal firework hurdling towards the large glass windows of the coffee shop joined the firecrackers and also cause multiple mammals in the crowd to both cheer and scream.

From the corner of his eye North saw the maroon colored projectile zoom straight into his direction as it crashed into the fragile glass with a bright flash. He closed his eyes tightly and dropped onto his butt underneath the front counter as the sound of shattered glass and an ear-ringing explosion cut into his ears that were now pinned to the back of his head, the heat of the explosion spiking against his fur and back through the wooden counter.

His knees tucked up to his chest and his heart continued to skip as the earlier fear in his stomach spilled out through his actions. Firecrackers and the crowds roar continued to pound at the air outside and attack North's fragile mind as he pressed his back against the bottom of the counter.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't inside of the coffee shop anymore, he was inside of a dark mud-made house that was filled with lung clogging smoke in the burning sun as the sound of firecrackers was replaced by gunfire that cascaded around his wooden table he leaned against for cover.

North let out a small and helpless whine as he scrambled back against the tipped over table, his empty paws unable to search for his trusty M4 as panic consumed his thoughts. He could hear a fuzzy and distant voice calling his name, though he didn't respond as he was too preoccupied with avoiding the hail of bullets that threatened to tear through his thin wooden cover and into his soft flesh.

His desert camouflaged uniform was smothered in dirt and crimson blood as he tucked himself into the smallest target he could. He felt a numbing pain in his abdomen and it began to increase the tighter he tucked himself into a ball. North couldn't think straight. His body wouldn't allow him to move as the mammal in the distance continued to call his name. He assumed it was one of his squad mates trying to reach him. The sound of bullets pounding at his ears suddenly came to a stop as he tucked his eyes and head against his shaking knees. His breaths came in shaky and irregular patterns as he slowly came back to his senses. He felt soft paws gripping onto his shoulders as Hazel shook him gently. He lifted his gaze to see her kneeling in front of him, concern and worry covered her expression as she repeated his name and inspected him for what had caused his breakdown.

The mud home had returned to its normal form of the coffee shop as the sounds of the riot and police sirens replaced those of bullets and battle. North slowly untucked himself from the small ball he had crumpled into as he stared at Hazel in growing shock and disbelief. Her voice shook with concern as his name slowly began to focus his hearing.

 _But I was just . . . I wasn't getting shot at?_

North felt the weight of tears pinning down the fur along his face and he had to lift a paw to his cheek in disbelief as he realized he was crying from the consuming fear he had felt only moments before. His eyes widened as he noticed that the blood that had smothered his uniform and paws in his recent anomaly still clung tightly to his body and the irony stentch threatened to choke him as the pain in his abdomen started to return.

"North! You're bleeding!" North lifted his gaze to Hazel as she instinctively pulled her clean white paws away from him and hovered them over her mouth as if to cover up her shock. "Shit, stay here! I'm gonna go get a cloth to, uh, stop the bleeding!"

North glanced down at where the pain was originating as his friend quickly stood up and dashed over to the cleaning supplies on the higher shelves. His his paws held his spilling wound as he watched his uniform slowly become a darker shade of brown and red. A large piece of glass had flown from the shattered window and had embedded itself into North's abdomen just before he had been able to duck into the safety of the counter. He groaned slightly as he tried to shift his weight and did his best to keep pressure where the transparent material punctured his skin.

Blood now wrapped around his paws like a tight fitting glove as the sounds of the protest outside continued to storm on even louder than before now that the glass and it's semi-soundproof barrier were gone. His paws shook slightly as the adrenaline and confusion of the injury swarmed around inside of his body as he raised his gaze up to Hazel as she rushed back to his side.

* * *

 _ **Hazel's POV**_

Hazel couldn't believe what had just happened. This was the kind of stuff that only happened in movies! She could only really remember diving underneath the counter as she saw that damn firework fly into the window. The next thing she could recall was hearing a panicked whine from where she thought her co-worker had dropped beside her. She felt guilty for being frozen in shock as she had watched North squirm and push back against the counter. She couldn't get the expression of total fear and glazed over eyes that had covered his face in those moments as she finally had the ability to rush to his aid. She didn't understand why he had looked so afraid, but she guessed it had been from the glass that had planted itself into his flesh. But, his paws and eyes weren't on the injury when he was panicking against the counter.

She held the clean dish rag firmly in her paw as she hurriedly knelt beside her friend as he stared at his injury in almost a daze. She almost gagged at the sight and smell of blood as it now covered North's stomach and paws and was slowly climbing up the sides of the shard of glass that protruded from his body. She lifted a concerned gaze onto his expression to find that he didn't seem to be in extreme pain but in more of a scary daze.

His ears were pinned back against his head and his eyes only occasionally wondered from his injury as his paws firmly pressed down onto it. His tail twitched in obvious discomfort as he shifted his weight to sit more upright. His muzzle held a pained frown though his eyes didn't show any pain or worry. His eyes only held a distant confusion and fear.

Hazel quickly pushed the rag onto the wound, knowing both from being told and from hospital-like TV shows that it was unwise to pull out the glass unless Emergency Medcal Serivces was there to do it for you.

"North? North, does this hurt? Well, obviously it hurts, but are you okay?" Hazel mentally slapped herself as she asked North obvious and unhelpful questions as she truly had no clue what she was doing. She felt a small wave of relief as her friend seemingly managed to produce a small smile as if he suddenly felt the need to comfort her.

"I'm f-fine! Stings like a bitch th-though. . ." His voice was hoarse and stuttered with bits of pain. Hazel didn't know how to respond to him, but the sound of a police siren suddenly interrupted her thoughts and she realized she hadn't called for any help.

"Oh! Keep that cloth on that wound!" Hazel immediately stood up to look over the countertop, her gaze scanning over the crowd as she noticed a squad car parked in front of the now damaged building. She saw two officers, one wolf and one tiger with their paws on their hips as they were searching around the scattered glass in both amazement and annoyance. Hazel heard the wolf mutter a small, "A firework did this..?" Before she began to frantically wave her arms and yell out to get the two mammal's attention.

"Hey! Over here! Help, please! My friend's hurt and I don't know what I'm doing!" Her calls instantly gained the attention of the officers and they both stopped for a split second as they stared at Hazel with perked ears and surprised expressions. Her sporadic movements seemed to pull the two out of their tiny trance as they quickly bounded carefully over the glass and towards the front counter.

Once she knew that the two officers were coming over to help her, she ducked back down under the counter to look back at North who was clutching onto the cloth as the pain was now starting to get to him.

* * *

 _ **North's POV**_

North tried to hold back a groan of pain as his adrenaline slowly began to fade away and become replaced with the pain that dug into his body like ragged teeth. He had felt much worse pain, but being stabbed with a piece of glass felt just as painful as being shot with an inaccurate bullet in that current moment.

His tail twitched impatiently as he watched Hazel yell out to a seemingly random stranger in the crowd. He closed his eyes and pressed the now crimson damp rag to his abdomen and allowed his ears to 'watch' instead.

He heard the sound of two new sets of paw-steps as they quickly rushed towards the counter and felt the comforting paw of Hazel as she spoke reassuringly towards his tensed up form.

"North, the police are here. I'm pretty sure they'll be able to help or get better help.."

He heard the two officers shuffle to a stop as they also took a knee beside him. North hated being the one being cared for.

He heard a confident voice above him, directed towards Hazel while he felt slightly hesitant paws help apply pressure on the wound.

"Miss, I've already called for an ambulance and EMTs. They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Thank God! I didn't know what I was doing! I just grabbed a rag and put pressure on it and . . ." Her voice trailed off and was replaced by the officer's.

"That's okay! You did good! The EMTs will come with the right equipment to help him further. Okay, Miss, could you begin to tell me how this whole event went down. . . ?

The officer's voice drifted into the background as North's ears picked up a new voice of the officer directly beside him.

"Hey, pal! Can you hear me okay?" North heard the friendly and confident tone of the officer's voice and he nodded slowly, keeping his eyes closed as he wanted desperately to stay away from the reality of the situation. The glass chunk must be larger than what he felt it was as neither of the officers or Hazel had attempted to pull it out of his body.

"Great, I'm Officer Wolford of ZPD. I'm going to have to put some pressure on this injury, okay? I'm just letting you know what I'm doing." North replied with another nod, knowing the procedure of events that would soon unfold. He then felt the officers paws slowly grip onto the cloth and push down onto his tightened abdomen. North groaned in aching pain, but did his best not to show it as he didn't want the officer, or Hazel, to worry about his condition.

He heard the officer apologize quietly, though he didn't let up any pressure as the blood soon began to block itself from exiting the wound. North also held his paws on the wound, wanting to help himself even though he felt the dizziness of blood loss begin to fog up his senses. He swore quietly as he didn't want to fall unconscious, as he knew that would mean his 'minor' wound had turned serious. He heard the distant sound of ambulance sirens slowly pushing through the now growing crowd around the vandalized coffee shop.

 _This just isn't my week. . ._

North felt the officer quickly replace the rag as his pressure drifted off slightly from the wound. He felt the sticky fluid slowly drip down his shirt and along his fur as he did his best to stay still for the officer. His heart almost sunk into his stomach as he heard Officer Wolford mutter a quiet "Damn, how'd that get lodged that far in there?"

 _Are you kidding me? I thought it was just a small piece of fucking glass!_

"Fuuu-" _Fuck!_

North almost yelled out in pain as he felt the glass shift inside of his body as the officer helping him shifted his paws on the wound so he could apply better pressure. He didn't hear the officer's small apology as North closed his eyes tighter and clamped his jaw tightly shut with his ears pinned heavily against the back of his skull. His head felt like a giant weight and his paws felt as if they were useless bricks as the blood from the puncture was slowly clogging up after the steady spewing of the fluid only minutes prior.

He finally had the strength to open his eyes as the strong urge to see his wound pressured his weakening body. His gaze first landed on the officer. A blue eyed, grey timber wolf with a now slightly blood-stained blue uniform with a shiny golden ZPD badge pinned proudly on his chest. His paws were tucked tightly in sterile blue rubber gloves as he continued to press a somewhat fresh white cloth around the shard of glass that stuck out from North's abdomen.

North stared at the glass in awe as the blood had climbed all the way up to its peak, painting the transparent material a greasy red. He was surprised to see that his own brown uniform had been cut from the his waist up to his chest, exposing the wound so the world could see it's full and disgusting glory.

North groaned as he saw his orange fur being plastered against his skin with viscous crimson and his paws also looked like he had jumped into a bath of red dyed water. The officers gloves where drooling with North's blood as he quickly turned to grab yet another sterile cloth. Antibiotic patches littered the floor as the officer had obviously attempted to clean the wound of any foreign material or other small bits of glass. North caught a small glimpse of the wound as the officer removed the damp cloth to replace it with a less saturated one.

His skin peeled around the glass like a zipper, an ugly tear in his flesh. The second layer of his skin threatened to buldge into the glass as the muscles in his abdomen constantly flexed and relaxed in their own attempt to remove the rugged and alien material. He noticed his tail tapping against the floor painfully and realized that the ground also held small spills of his blood as well. The part of his uniform, that wasn't cut, was becoming a darker shade of dirty brown as the blood slithered down his stomach and also climbed up his chest.

North hadn't realized that his injury was as serious as it actually was. He had assumed that the glass only dug into a few centimeters of his flesh. He had assumed wrong. It had dug a few inches into his flesh.

The sound of squeaking breaks interrupted his thoughts and the sound of ambulance sirens abruptly shutting off gave North both a feeling of relief and discomfort. The glass would have to come out of his body one way or another. Nonetheless, the sounds of the riot continued in the background, almost as if they didn't know that the coffee shop had literally blown up.

North attempted to raise his gaze upwards as the sound of multiple paw steps entering the shattered building became clear to him, but his eyelids felt too heavy and his head felt glued into place. Blue and red lights danced on the walls inside of the ruined coffee shop as EMTs finally shuffled around the corner of the front counter. North didn't catch what one of the white uniformed mammals said, which frustrated him, as he felt like his hearing was turning into a small buzz instead of its usual clarity.

He felt added paws run along his injury, but he couldn't connect voices to faces, or paws to bodies. He felt like his brain was turning to mush and his senses were fading like distant fog.

North could hear Hazel answering a few questions. He heard her relay his full name, and the occasional sniffle from her shivering white form. He didn't want to be awake anymore. His paws had slowly drifted off of his wound and onto the burnt and blood stained wooden floor. His eyes slid closed and his mind drifted off into dark unconsciousness. He felt utterly exhausted, and he hated it.

North couldn't hear anything. Only a quiet ringing in the back of his head. He could feel paws calmly working on his body, but no pain. The blue and red flashing lights from the ambulance paraded along his eyelids and he felt his body being shifted.

He suddenly felt very comfortable. A cushion held onto his head and a sturdy backboard was holding his body. His mind went dark after that.

* * *

 _ **Hazel's POV**_

Hazel watched in fascination as four mammals, two police officers and two EMTs, gently slid North's sleeping form onto a cushioned and wheeled backboard. A third EMT stood beside her, the Elk's steady voice was very calming and reassuring as he relayed the situation to her.

"He should be fine. We're going to have to take him to the hospital to remove the glass from his abdomen. You said he had 'panicked' when the glass first hit him?"

Hazel only nodded at the friendly mammal beside her. Her attention was more focused on North as he was carefully pushed towards the Ambulance's open back doors.

"Mhm.. That's probably what had caused that chunk of glass to stick deeper into his body. His thighs had cuts down the tops, so he most likely shoved the glass into himself when he had tucked into a fetal position."

Hazel crossed her arms over her chest. Her tail swayed slowly behind her as she saw North disappear into the ambulance. She didn't know what to say, or what to do, or even what to think about. Should she go to the hospital with North? How was she supposed to continue work when her work was destroyed? Would she have to clean up the blood on the floor? More and more questions with no apparent answers continued to plague her mind as she turned to smile at the EMT who was ready to leave.

"Thank you! I didn't think he was hurt that bad.." Hazel raised his brow as the Elk shook his head.

"We're just lucky that you didn't try and remove the glass by yourself! With how deep that's lodged into his abdomen, you could've tore a lot more than just his skin." The Elk responded as he turned to walk back to the ambulance, his long stride quickly taking him the short distance from the counter, across the field of shattered glass and burnt floors, and out to the ambulance.

Hazel was left alone in her workplace. The walls held black spots from the fireworks compressed explosions. The glass container holding all the food was cracked in multiple places and the front counter held small blades of glass embedded in its wooden frame.

She sighed heavily as she inspected the ruins. The crowd outside continued its path, occasionally giving her strange looks as the ambulance slowly pulled away and onto the road.

 _I should probably call Doe. Oh, she's gonna be so upset. . ._

 _I'll go to the hospital AFTER I do that. . ._

* * *

 ** _North's POV_**

North felt a comfortable white light shining quietly above him as his eyelids protected his aching eyes. He felt clean. He didn't feel any pain.

 _Maybe it was a dream?_

He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar rectangular light shining down from a white tiled ceiling. He tilted his head down to look at his body, wincing as the small movement brought an ach in all of his muscles.

 _Nope._

His uniform was gone. It was replaced by a clean, blue hospital gown that flowed down to his knees. He raised a brow as he wondered where his cloths had gone as he realized he had nothing else on beneath the thin garment.

An IV hung over his right arm on a metal hanger and a small tube slithered down right below his elbow where a needle was stuck and taped into his forearm. His fur was as clean as it could be in that moment. The hospital must have cleaned him up as to keep their beds from getting contaminated with any sort of blood or bodily fluid. His tail lay gently to the side of his legs as he continued to glance around at his surroundings.

He was in a room by himself. Their was a window to his right that gave a view of a a beautiful hotel. The walls were painted a clean white with a sea blue stripe pasted a few feet from the ceiling. The floor was made of square white tiles and held wooden cabinets with granite countertops that were tucked neatly along the opposite wall from where he lay. Machines he knew nothing about rested quietly around his bed. A small Smart TV hung in front of the bed and the remote was placed on a small tray-like cart underneath it. The screen was off, leaving the room silent with the exception of the hum of quiet medical machines and the muffled noises of the outdoors through the thin window.

 _This room is better than my apartment. . ._

North was midway through with thinking how much he wanted a smart TV when the sound of a metal doorknob clicking open interrupted the quiet space of his room. He raised a brow towards the wooden door as a coyote dressed in a white lab coat, a blue hospital undershirt and pants, and comfortable looking black shoes entered the room. He held a wooden clipboard as he stared down at multiple sheets of paper, his thin glasses resting on his muzzle as he mumbled to himself.

North watched as the doctor lifted his gaze and quickly formed a bright and friendly smile as he noticed that his patient was now fully awake and seemed to be in beautiful condition while the door shut with a quiet click behind him.

"Oh! Good Morning, Mister Furrs! I'm Doctor Koyot. How are you feeling currently?" North noticed that the had a small hindi accent as he watched the doctor move closer to the machines that stood proudly beside his bed.

"I've felt better.. A little achy.." North glanced down at his stomach, suddenly becoming immensely curious as to how and when the glass had been removed from his body. His attention was brought back to the doctor as his voice cheerfully filled up the room.

"That's perfectly normal! You're body is recovering from nearly a liter of blood loss. Around ninety-five milliliters." tapped his index finger twice on the clip board, seemingly gesturing to the amount on the white piece of paper clipped there.

"I didn't realize it had been that bad. . ." North figured that two liters of blood loss had caused unconsciousness, but he realized that a mixture of pain could've tipped the balance and forced his deep sleep. Unless it was the EMTs? He didn't know how that field of work truly worked anyways.

"Either away, you should be able to make a speedy recovery." The coyote finished an inspection of the machines and turned to smile at North. "But right now, someone by the name of Hazel White is wanting a visit with you. She's your friend, yes?"

North's brows raised at the mention of Hazel. He hadn't really thought of how this would affect her. In short, he thought she would have gone home or explained the situation to basically everyone she could call or text. He didn't think she would want to come visit him.

"Hazel? Oh.. Uh, is she here right now?" North had barely been able to finish his sentence when reopened the door to reveal Hazel dressed in casual clothing, short blue shorts and a long sleeve white shirt, with her arms crossed and a worried expression printed on her face.

 _Nevermind!_

North smiled and gave Hazel a happy wave as she shuffled into the room with a small nod of gratitude towards the doctor. He flicked his ears and managed to sit up slightly more straight in his bed as she smiled and returned the wave, visible relief flooding over her expression.

"Ill be right back! I need to finish up this log for your condition. If you need anything, I will be close by." The doctor turned and strode out of the room, leaving North alone with Hazel as they awkwardly gave each other curious glances.

"So.. How're you feeling, North?"

"I feel fine. Yourself?"

"Worried.. I literally thought you were about to die!"

"Really? I didn't realize it was that bad..."

"Are you kidding? You literally looked like a squashed tomato with all of that blood everywhere!"

"It was only about a liter."

"That's a lot!"

"Depends on how much you define as a lot."

"One liter is a lot, North."

North chuckled as him and Hazel went back and forth in their conversation. He raised a brow as he noticed her hesitate slightly with her paw scratching the back of her neck.

"What's up, Hazel? Something wrong?" His voice seemed to pull her from her thoughts as she sighed and shrugged quietly.

"I'm just confused on how you managed to dig that piece of glass so far into your body! The EMT had said it was most likely due to you panicking when it first hit you, but you seemed so out of the loop! It was like you didn't even know you had been impaled!" Hazel lifted her paws in the air as if she where tossing an invisible blanket over her head as she stared at North with a quizzical raised brow.

A small flash of discomfort fluttered into North's body as the topic of his early panic came into play. He could tell, just by looking at her, that Hazel knew something new about him. She seemed to have an almost detective air around her as she dropped her hands to her hips.

"And I didn't know you were in the military! I saw it on your ID and record when the hospital pulled it up to see if you had a medical history."

North sighed as Hazel threw out the information she had been contemplating inside of her head. He never truly enjoyed talking about his experience in the Marines as he felt like his experiences had led to his miserable state he was in now, though he was proud to be apart of such an influential branch in the military.

Hazel took a few steps closer to his bed, her arms now moving to her chest as she crossed them over each other while she held a curious expression. Her ears perked tall, her muzzle in a resting grin, and her eyes slightly squinting as she inspected North like he held the secrets to the universe on his forehead. "Why didn't you tell me?"

North internally groaned. How was he supposed to explain everything to Hazel without making her believe that he had personal issues? His ears dropped to the sides of his head and he gently sunk back into the embrace of his comfortable hospital bed.

 _Whelp.. Ill just leave out the bad stuff.. This won't be that hard . . ._

* * *

 _That's part one! Expect a part two sometime in the near future! I wanted to add Hazel's perspective on the event to add an outside view and switch things up a bit within this longer chapter. Sorry it took longer to post this one! Vacation was amazing and the fourth of July was hella fun! Also work was a major roadblock in writing this week. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! If you can't review on this chapter, it's because it's replacing the quick and temporary update I had posted earlier. If that's not an issue, than fantastic! Also, if there are any issues or MAJOR errors in this chapter, feel free to notify me about them as mobile devices can mess a lot of things up when typing on them._

 _Thank you, and have an amazing day!_


	7. Confession - PART 2

**Chapter 7**

 **Confession**

 **Part 2**

 _"_ _Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive. When someone enters the pain and hears the screams healing can begin."_

― **Danielle Bernock** , **Emerging with Wings: A True Story of Lies, Pain, and the Love That Heals**

* * *

The white hospital room was filled with a dull vocal silence. The air seemed to thicken as Hazel's curiosity grew and North's discomfort expanded. His tail tapped the bed quietly as he manipulated the correct words to say throughout his head.

"I didn't tell you I was in the military because . . . I didn't think it was important?" North answered Hazel's question with an unsure answer and he flattened his ears to his head as he noticed the arctic Fox in front of him shake her head in an unsatisfied matter.

"How is that not important? You've been through hell and back!" Hazel put her paws into the air as if she were showing off an award for North for him just being in the military. North shook his head at her comment, wishing what she had said wasn't actually true to himself.

"Mhm.." Was all North could do to reply to her as he nodded his head and began to tap his fingers awkwardly on his leg. Hazel was visibly disappointed in his response and she flattened her ears to her head and crossed her arms while she gave him a look that spoke a clear "really?" into the air.

"What? I said I thought it wasn't important." North tried to keep up his side of the battle as Hazel shook her head and sighed quietly.

"But it is important! You do something great and meaningful and you don't tell anybody? I don't get it." North noticed her tail twitch and her ears fidget behind her head. He sighed and shrugged, lifting his palms up to exaggerate the movement.

"Maybe because that 'great and meaningful' thing I did isn't something I enjoy talking about? Shit happens and it stains, Hazel." North closed his eyes and rubbed a paw over his eyelids as he heard Hazel shift her paws quietly and her tail swish along the tiled floor slowly.

"Well, maybe you should try and talk about it? I've heard venting out your problems is good for the body and for healing."

North opened his eyes and gave Hazel a quizzical glance. She had her paws tucked into her small shorts pockets and her head was titled slightly to the left as she met his gaze directly. He groaned to himself and let his paws flop down onto the soft mattress.

 _She's so damn persistent.._

"Okay! What do you want to know?" North reluctantly gave into Hazel's prying and he watched as she smiled victoriously and turned to go steal a wheeled stool from the counter tucked against the wall.

"Well.. What branch were you in? How old were you when you joined? Were you deployed? What did you do?" Hazel immediately began to throw out a barrage of questions and North had to lift his paw into the air to stop her flow of curiosity. She put a paw to her mouth as she apologized quietly and sat down on her stool.

"Oh, sorry.. Just those questions.."

North closed his eyes and sat back, almost uncomfortably, in his bed as his closed gaze frowned at the white tiled ceiling as he gathered up nagging memories of the past. He raised up a singular pointed finger into the air as he opened his eyes and looked at the fair fidgety vixen beside him.

"First question I can answer. I joined the Marine Corps as soon as I graduated from High School. My parents didn't really want to pay for any sort of college education and I didn't have the money to even start one." North shrugged before continuing on with his reply. "So, after a few months of mental debating, I said "Fuck it," and enlisted in the military."

Hazel still seemed confused. North could see a quizzical gleam in her eye as her paws held onto her hips, her muzzle frowned awkwardly, and her brows were pinned together in thought. North could practically hear her next question before she even gathered the words to ask it.

"So, the military pays for your college? That's why you joined?" North felt as if Hazel was interrogating him like he was some guilty P.O.W. with a list of gruesome war crimes.

He instantly shook his head at her question. "I thought they would! But the G.I. Bill will only pay for parts of it. It's weird and complicated and I don't wanna explain the whole thing . . . But yes, I joined mainly because I believed it could help with my education and I also thought I would be doing something, I guess, meaningful in my life instead of doing nothing."

North watched as Hazel gave a silent "Ooooh," with a heavy nod of her head. Her ears perked and her brow raised as she revealed another question that plagued her mind.

"What did your parents think of you joining the military?"

North almost laughed out loud as he shrugged and shook his head slowly. In all truth, he didn't care what his parents thought of what he did in any way, shape, or form.

"I didn't care what they thought. They were dicks to me my entire life anyways! They made me pay rent as soon as I got a job! All like, "You live under **_our_** roof, and we give you food, it's 'bout time you pay up your debt," - Another reason I joined the military." North raised a second finger in the air at his final comment while he watched Hazel's head shake in disbelief.

"You're kidding?" Was all she said in return and North's ears twitched in return.

"Nada. It was thirty bucks a month." North crossed his arms as Hazel released a small "unbelievable" from under her breath.

"But, they were pretty pissed. They didn't agree with the violence and didn't want anyone in their family to be apart if it." North decided to leave out that he hadn't seen his parents in almost a year. He figured Hazel would be content with the information he gave her.

Hazel shifted her weight on the stool she sat on, letting her feet dangle loosely below her. Her tail twitched and her ears flattened against her head as she seemed to be processing everything she had just been told. She frowned quietly and tilted her head to the side before nodding ever so slightly.

"My parents would flip out if I joined the military! They're pretty protective over me, probably because I'm an only child." Hazel tapped her foot on the metal leg of the stool as she looked up at the ceiling for a flash of a second. She returned her gaze to North as he nodded in understanding, his ears perking at the new piece of her life he has just learned.

"I have a brother, but he's way younger than I am. He's probably seventeen now?" North scratched his thumb directly below his ear as he estimated his brothers age. He was almost six or seven years older than the teenaged Fox.

"Ooooh! What's his name? Is it South?" Hazel smiled cheesily as she guessed his brother's name and North laughed at the humorous pun towards his own name.

"Ha! No! His name's Ethan." North smiled and rested his head back on his pillow as he closed his eyes, hiding a small pang of guilt as he realized how long it had been since he had visited his sibling. "He's a funny kid! I think you'd like him."

He heard Hazel chuckle before she sighed quietly. He opened his eyes to see her inspecting his body very discretely. He raised a brow at the vixen before smiling as a teasing idea came into his mind.

"Hey, my eyes are up here, sweet stuff." He smiled brightly as Hazel quickly lifted her gaze up to North's eyes and raised her paws to her cheeks as if to hide a growing blush. She quickly shook her head in an attempt to redeem herself.

"Oh, no! I wasn't..! I mean, I was just curious on how your wound looked! I wasn't checking you out, or anything like that, I swear!" North began to laugh midway through her stammering and he lifted his paws in the air to stop her from blabbering on.

"Hazel! I'm just teasing you! Don't get your tail all tied up!" He perked his ears happily and flicked his tail as a thought popped into his head.

 _Maybe she forgot about all of her earlier questions? I hope so._

Hazel let loose a flustered groan and rolled her eyes in embarrassment while she let her paws fall back onto her lap. The hospital room went awkwardly silent for nearly a full minute afterwards. Only the sound of Hazel's tail swishing along the cold tile floor occasionally interrupted the dull quiet.

Hazel took a small breath before she raised a brow at North once again. "I heard the injury was pretty bad? I mean, I knew it was bad just by looking at it, but the doctors told me you lost a lot of blood?"

North replied with a nod. He raised his brows as he realized he hadn't even seen the sealed wound yet and he gently put a paw at the base of his blue hospital shirt.

"I actually haven't seen it yet." North carefully began to lift the soft material away from his furry stomach as he pulled it slowly away from his wound. He lifted his head as he almost glared at his wound, grimacing in disgust at the sight of ugly blue stitches as they pushed against a thin sterile bandage that wrapped around his abdomen. The fur around the wound was shaved clean off and a yellow bodily substance was beginning to collect around the stitches on the bandage. Smaller cuts had been properly tended to and some were covered by the same bandage as the largest puncture.

He heard Hazel shudder from the sight of the bandages wound from on top of her stool. North couldn't help but shiver as he too disliked the the sight of himself in this depressing state.

"Ugh, It looks painful." North raised a brow at Hazel as she spoke out and he looked back down at his abdomen with a small "Mhm," in response.

"North? Why did you look so weird when the glass hit you? I mean, I realized it must've hurt, but I can't get your expression out of my head." North lifted his eyes up to Hazel in surprise at her question. He never thought about how he must have looked during his small panic attack.

"You just looked . . . So out of it! It was like you were somewhere completely different." She had her paws in the air as if she were holding up a symbol of her confusion above her head while her brows were pinned tightly together. She held a small frown as she suddenly attempted to rephrase herself.

"I mean, it just . . . It just didn't look right! It's not my first time in a situation that ended up like this one, and you just seemed . . ." Hazel paused slightly as she tried to find the correct word to complete her idea and question.

"Different!"

She stood up bedside North's soft hospital bed, holding her paws above her head and her eyes wide open. North almost compared her to a zombie from old black and white movies.

He sat still. He felt as if the few seconds of silence were each an eternity as his mind was slowly failing to compute her question. His gut told him not to worry her with his nightmares while his mind pleaded for a helping and healing friend. A flash of his panicked induced daydream erupted inside of his head and he rubbed his paws along his eyes to push the image away. His ears slowly folded behind his head as he tore his eyes away from Hazel as her paws dropped to her sides. North folded his paws together and circled his thumbs around each other in quick fidgety motions.

His tail twitched as he sighed and shuddered angrily. He didn't know why he was angry, it just felt natural to be upset. North squeezed his paws together and pushed his head against the feathery pillow behind him as he let his furrowed brows and darkening gaze return to Hazel.

"Can we not talk about it? It's complicated, it's total ass to think about, and explaining things for others is not a strong suit of mine." His eyes glared at the arctic vixen as he snapped his subtle but aggressive words towards her, his tail lashing as he spoke. North's cold gaze slowly softened as he saw Hazel become visibly distraught and she lowered her own eyes to her lap, quietly tapping her fingers on her hips.

The room was filled with an a ear splitting silence.

Hazel sighed quietly before shuffling her foot along the tiled floor as she struggled to keep her thoughts in check.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't think it was a touchy subject . . ."

 _Shit._

North shuffled his weight on his mattress and sat up more erect and straight, an apologetic expression covering his face while he stared at her upset form.

"Hazel, I'm sorry for sounding angry. I just got upset at . . . My condition. It just frustrates me that those damn riots put me here." North falsely explained his anger towards the riots. He didn't want Hazel to believe that his anger was truly directed solely at her and he didn't want her to worry about him or his nightmares.

Hazel only nodded in reply, her ears flicking behind her head as if her questions were literally attacking the inside of her skull. She opened her muzzle to speak but the sound of a door handle clicking and hinges squeaking open interrupted her.

Doctor Koyot entered the room with a smile on his face and his trusty clipboard of papers in his paw. Both North and Hazel quickly turned their attention to the doctor as he lifted his free paw in a cheerful wave at the two foxes, who both awkwardly returned gesture.

"Hello, again! Mister Furrs, I have good news! According to the reports I just completed, you should be out of the hospital in a few days! Though, the time may vary as we continue to monitor your body to see if everything that was torn from the glass inside your abdomen is working properly." Doctor Koyot finished his happy statement with a flick of his tail and a click of a blue pen on the clipboard.

"Oh? Awesome! I was thinking I'd have to been here for way longer than a few days." North forced himself to sound cheerful as he quickly dropped the previous subject with Hazel as if it had never existed.

Hazel simply smiled and clapped her paws together happily before she gently pushed her stool back to where it originally came from.

"Well, I'm gonna scoot! Still have to do a bit of stuff for Doe. She's totally flipping out that her shop literally blew up. . ." Hazel smiled weakly and waved her paws in the air as she described Doe's reaction to the incident and North couldn't help but release a small chuckle at the thought of his normally friendly employer screaming at angry rioters outside of her burnt coffee shop.

"Who wouldn't flip out about that?" North grinned at his own reply and waved at Hazel as she turned to leave the hospital room, giving the doctor a quick paw-shake and a friendly nod before hurriedly opening the door and slipping away.

"She seems like a very nice young vixen. Are you two a couple?" Doctor Koyot raised a brow at North as he asked his innocent question. Norton's eyes widened and he shook his paws out in front of him to emphasize his point.

"Oh! Us? No! She already has a boyfriend. He's in a band.." North trailed off as the coyote nodded apologetically and continued to hold his professional smile.

"Sorry, my mistake!"

"Eh, no worries." North leaned back in his bed again as Docotor Koyot began to inspect the machinery around him, leaving North to his thoughts as he rubbed a hesitant paw over his clean hospital-given shirt and felt his smooth, bandaged stomach beneath the thin blue cotton.

His tail began to tap in a restless manner against the white sheets of the bed as thoughts of what the future held for him cascaded throughout his troubled brain. His ears flattened and his muzzle hung in a depressed frown.

 _What am I supposed to do now? Hazel probably thinks I'm an asshole, I don't have a job at the moment, I'm gonna be in serious need of money! Fuck my life! I'm literally hitting rock bottom and I feel like life is gonna hold me there forever. . ._

* * *

 _That's it! Sorry for the long delay on this chapter. I had a vacation up north and work has got me on lockdown! Ill try and make the next chapter much longer than this one as the smaller sized chapters can be let-downs to some people. But expect the next chapters to he filled with new ideas and an upcoming plotline that's been planned for awhile (With the help of_ poynton90). Also expect a few OCs from helpful readers and more action and military based events!

Thank you! Have a great day!


	8. Restoration

**Chapter 8**

 **Restoration**

 _"Unlike simple stress, trauma changes your view of your life and yourself. It shatters your most basic assumptions about yourself and your world — "Life is good," "I'm safe," "People are kind," "I can trust others," "The future is likely to be good" — and replaces them with feelings like "The world is dangerous," "I can't win," "I can't trust other people," or "There's no hope."_

 ** _― Mark Goulston, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies_**

* * *

Ten mammals - two squads, one section - walked slowly in two separate lines of five on opposite sides of the packed down dirt road. Each desert camouflaged soldier traveled about ten feet apart from the mammal in front of him or her while the unit's slow but constant pace seemed to be the only movement in the heat blasted and sand covered desert they patrolled in. North walked behind Private Lewis Buck, a cheery elk with the optimism of a kid on Christmas, and stayed in front of Corporal David Clawson, a timber wolf with a nack for machinery and a love of 'machine' guns. Anything with the word, "machine", Corporal Clawson could fix, use, and handle.

He kicked out a bored foot into the desert sand and watched as dust seemed to hang onto the heat waves that obstructed his vision. North found patrols boring, uneventful, and only made the soldiers on the patrol look like walking targets on an open road. His dust covered tail hung heavily behind him as sweat dripped down his uniform and sank into his fur while he continued his heavy walk with his trusty M4 gripped casually in his gloved paws.

"I spy, with my little eye, something sandy." A young male voice spoke out in front of North and he lifted his gaze to look at Private Buck as the elk gazed around the group of armed mammals with a goofy grin . North chuckled while Corporal Clawson groaned from behind him.

"Lewy, don't start that shit." The timber wolf sighed as he shuffled along the road. "This is a military patrol, not a family road trip."

Private Buck was about to retaliate with a smartass comment before North quickly interrupted the young Marine.

"Relax, David." North grinned and glanced back at his friend, flicking his ears at the chance to relieve his boredom while the wolf shook his head quietly. "Lewy, I have two guesses."

North watched as Corporal Buck's posture rose and he flashed back a smile at his vulpine friend. "Guess away, my orange amigo!" Lewy spoke, but quickly resumed his constant lookout along the road and distant mountains.

"Is it David's attitude?" North asked as he too restarted his own scan of his desolate surroundings.

"Nope! Second guess?"

North flicked his ears as he glanced back at Lewy.

"Is it the desert?"

The elk lifted up a hooved finger into the air and perked his ears as if they were attached together with a string.

"Ding ding! Winner winner, chicken dinner!"

North shook his head and laughed to himself while the rest of the group externally groaned in disoriented unison.

"Fuck you, Lewis." A panther from across the road complained as he shook his head in annoyed humor. The elk only replied with a happy giggle and a kick of a rock off of the road.

Naturally, the unit then lapsed into silence after one of the squad leaders let out a "Quit the shit, Marines," like they had been doing ever since the start of the uneventful patrol. The only sound that now met the ears of the soldiers was the sound of paws walking along the dusty road and the noise of insects groaning at the hot sun.

North could feel both the outrageous heat and boredom collect in his stomach as he continued his even stride, his eyes slowly inspected every inch of the desert around him.

Tall mountains only covered in sand and dusty bushes towered to the patrol's left side while an empty expanse of rugged dirt terrain with spec of shrubbery spread along their right side. The road weaved between jagged hills and eventually came to have long ditches naturally produced on both sides.

North's eyes scanned his left side, toward the mountains. His brows pinched together while he winced to block some of the sun's annoying rays from hurting his eyes. He paused a moment, almost stuttering his steps, as a white reflective flash spiked from the mountains that towered beside the unit. He blinked a few times, the flash shook, and was gone. His sweaty ears perked and flinched as a loud crack of a single gunshot replaced the reflection and his steps paused at the sound of a bullet crashing into the ditch inaccurately behind the entire unit.

North's adrenaline immediately kicked in and he slid into the nearest trench on then left side of the road even before the command to take cover was given by sergeant Wulf in the front of his squad's line. His head tucked tightly below the top of the ditch as he rubbed his body deeper into the rocky sand. He clutched his M4 tightly in his paws while his eyes quickly traveled around his squad, as they too were pressed tightly into cover.

After realizing that no mammal had been hit and no casualties had been taken, he was able to release a breath of relief.

"Where did it come from?" North heard Private Scratch ask from the back of the line as the cheetah shuffled into a tighter stance below the ditch.

"It must've been from the mountains." North slowly began to lift his head above the ditch as he heard Lewy respond to with a more serious tone in his voice than he usually held. North only allowed his helmet and eyes over the top of the cover as he slowly scanned the now quiet peaks. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a yellow flash from on top of a small ridge covered in prickly bushes and heard the distinctive sound of a sniper rifle firing another shot. He noticed a puff of dirt erupt from the desert floor easily fourty feet in in front of the ditch before he sunk back down into it's protection only a split second later.

"I saw him! I saw him!" North turned to look at sergeant Wulf who had apparently been doing the same action he had as he watched the wolf slither back into cover. "If you look a little to the right, there's a ledge poking out of the mountains that's covered in bushes." North pointed a gloved finger into the ditch roughly towards what direction he had seen the muzzle flash of the sniper.

He saw his squad leader slowly turn and inch his head above the ditch once again while Lewy did the same thing, poking his eyes slowly over the natural cover. "And I think he's a terrible shot! I saw the bullet hit maybe fourty or fifty feet away from here." Again, North pointed in the direction of where he saw the bullet, his eyes held wide as the rush of the whole ordeal was still shocking his system.

"I noticed the same thing!" North heard Clawson report from behind him as he too must have been searching for the sniper. "I didn't see sniper, but I saw the bullet hit at least fourty feet away."

"You boys got a visual on the sniper?" North turned to look across the road as a deeper voice called across from the opposite ditch. He heard Wulf drop back into the cover of their own ditch as he responded.

"Possibly! It's not confirmed, but North noticed a muzzle flash from that ridge along the mountains almost straight ahead of us." His voice seemed to echo unimaginably loud along the empty road as a small pause came from the other side of the now empty road. North noticed a black scope peek out from above the ditch as a the head of a Lynx was barely visible behind the weapon that scanned the mountains in front of the unit.

North watched as the scope of the weapon's small corrected movements slowly stopped only moments before the sound of another gunshot was released into the thick air and the Lynx and his standard rifle tucked quickly back into the safety of the ditch. This time North didn't hear the bullet connect with the ground or hear it. The sniper had missed once again.

"We've got a confirmed visual of the sniper!" The same voice as before called out from the other side of the road, this time with a hint of success spiked in his tone. "Due south-east at about one-two-zero." The voice relayed the approximate direction of the sniper from the unit's location. "Nearly one mile out!"

North shook his head at the distance. His body shivering as the adrenaline slowly began to stay at a constant hum in the back of his chest.

 _No wonder this sniper is so inaccurate. . ._

North watched Sergeant Wulf motion towards Scratch in the back of the squad and the Cheetah quickly shuffled past Clawson, North, and Lewy to slide into cover next to him.

"We're gonna call air support on this one. Clawson, get your SOFLAM out and ready."

The wolf quickly nodded in response to the order and began to dig into his pouches along his belt while North slowly poked his eyes over the top of the ditch once more.

North began to focus intently on where he believed the sniper must be, squinting his eyes to block the sun as he searched the ridge. When nothing happened after almost thirty seconds of dull stillness, he slithered back down into cover and turned to rest his back against sandy dip along the road.

North raised a brow as he suddenly realized he hadn't heard Sparks begin his conversation on the radio and that the cheetah was nearly finished requesting air support in the small amount of time North had been distracted.

"-Sniper due south-east at one-two-zero from patrol Bravo's relayed position. SOFLAM LTD is on standby, over."

The radio clicked before buzzing into life as a calm voice replied in a professional tone.

"Rodger, patrol Bravo. CAS is Oscar Mike towards your position. ETA eight minutes. Support is coming from the north, over."

Spark leaned his head back over the radio before responding.

"Ten-four. Out."

Spark leaned back against the ditch before he turned his gaze to look at the rest of his squad mates. "They'll be here in about eight minutes from the north."

Sergeant Wulf nodded before leaning over to look across North's form and towards Clawson who had finally pried the binocular-like laser target designator from one of his pouches and was popping off the black lenses cap.

"Clawson, start painting that ridge." Wulf swayed a gloved paw along an invisible horizontal plane to demonstrate what he wanted the Corporal to do. Clawson replied with a quick, "On it," before resting his elbows on the ditch and letting the SOFLAM point in the direction of the sniper while he pressed his eye against the back lense.

North watched his friend gently swerve the invisible laser along the ridge as he suddenly became anxious at the recent inactivity of the sniper. But the tight silence that had commenced was soon interrupted by the crack of a compressed explosion of a gunshot erupting into the hot desert air. North flinched at the sound and quickly slid back into the safety of the ditch with Clawson once again only to see the dust of the bullet hitting the ground only a few feet into the middle of the road. North rested his head back against his raised backpack that rested on the ditch while Clawson quickly sat up to resume his job.

"Fuck, he's getting closer." North flicked his ears up as he heard Lewy speak out impatiently as the Private stared at the spot where the dust of the bullets impact was still rising into the air. He turned to shrug at the Elk with an optimistic grin, flicking his tail along the sandy ground.

"Still inaccurate though. He's not gonna be hitting anyone anytime soon."

Of course, North didn't know if the sniper would finally hit a target or not. No mammal could ever tell when one safe, or in danger. Lewy only shook his head in response while he shifted his grip along his tightly held M4. It was situations like these that North noticed Lewy had a tough time handling.

North glanced along the opposite side of the road as he silently awaited the air support they had been promised. He spotted the occasional helmet and perked ear poke above the opposite ditch that were naturally raised from the adrenaline rush he figured every soldier in the unit was experiencing.

His fur on his paws felt like they were all individually shocked with an electric charge and a shivering sensation was continuously crawling quickly up and down his back. His tail tapped quietly in the orange sand and he felt as if he had to stay silent as to not draw attention to himself from the sniper almost a mile away.

His ears twitched and perked as much as his helmet would allow when the sound of crisp engines of an A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack jet reached the unit. He heard Wulf say something dully to Clawson in the back of his head, but didn't make it out as the jet quickly zoomed into view. It's rounded frame and circular winged engines glided angrily along the air as it approached closer to the road and mountains.

The radio Sparks held suddenly sizzled into a voice as the pilots of the A-10 Thunderbolt came into range.

"Patrol bravo, this is Alpha-ten Thunderbolt support jet, call sign, 'T-bag', scanning for LTD reflection, over."

North watched in fascination as the jet continued its direct line of flight as Sparks quickly responded to the pilots.

"T-bag, this is Patrol bravo. Check for reflection due south-west at one-two-zero of our location on the road along the mountain ridge, over."

There was a small pause on the radio as Clawson continued to scan the ridge and paint the enemy with the laser. North glanced down at the radio before following his gaze back to the Thunderbolt.

The radio cracked and the pilot responded while at the same time making a small turn to its left. "Rodger, Patrol bravo, we have confirmed visual of LTD on the ridge. Keep painting the designated area, over."

Sparks waited a moment before pressing his thumb down on the transmission button on the radio and giving his reply.

"Wilco, T-bag. Patrol bravo, Out."

Clawson must have heard the transmission and order from the pilot as North noticed him continue his sweep of the ridge with the laser. The ear piercing scream of the A-10 became suddenly louder as it sped over the top of the road. North kept his gaze on the jet as it released a missile from its flat underbelly with an audible hiss, leaving a flash of yellow behind the projectile. The entire unit kept quiet as the the sleek and fast moving grey explosive sliced through the sky and towards the mountains.

North winced as the missile made contact with the ridge and erupted into a ball of fire and smoke while sending dusty debris cascading into the air. The sound of the explosion came with the sudden and visible pound of the shockwave only a couple seconds after the deadly and beautiful explosion.

The sand below the unit and on the road bounced and trembled from the the aftershock of the explosion that continued to pound through the Marines bodies like a bass drum. The A-10 pulled up and safely away from its unleashed power and Sparks radio crackled once again.

"Patrol bravo, confirmed hit on intended target, T-bag returning to Jennison airfield. Out."

Lewy stood up beside North with a small fist pump as he watched the dying explosion as its orange smoke gently began to settle back into the mountain. "Fuck yeah! That was hella cool!"

North stood up with the rest of his squad as the already knew the protocol for what was next. The two squads met up outside of the road with no casualties for either. Wulf lifted a raised arm before pointing towards the ridge. "Okay, Marines! Let's check it out."

The walk to the ridge was slow and uneventful, but it seemed somehow fuzzy in North's mind. He knew the unit would probably find almost no remnants of the sniper, but small pieces of flesh are just as disgusting as giant dismantled body parts.

After almost twenty minutes of marching through the rough desert and up the gradual slope to the ridge, the unit eventually made its way up to the site of the explosion. Almost instantly North saw blood stained black from burnt flesh stuck into the rocky mountain ground. He kept mostly to himself as he and the rest of the unit scanned for remnants of the rifle or the sniper himself.

He slowly shuffled along the sand, following a loose trail of blood as it splattered onto bushes and rocks. North rounded over a small bend in a wall of prickly bushes and shrubs, turning his gaze to follow the short line of greenery. He instantly regretted his decision as what he saw nearly made him gag in disgust and fume in anger.

The dismembered torso and head of a goat, not nearly fourteen years old, lay in a crooked and deformed position against the the unforgiving cushion of the sharp edge of a boulder. It's chest twitched from nerves reacting to bugs as they zipped around the carcass while it bled from nearly every inch of its remaining body. The wool was burnt to a crisp and continued to spark occasionally from the heated oxygen in the air. The arms and legs had been ripped from their sockets and probably lay many feet from the original body and the torn and wrangled muscle dangled from where the limbs used to be firmly attached.

The child's eyes would be frozen in place, if he had any. The heat of the explosion had burned them out of the skull as the black burnt eyelids hovered over empty spaces. It's small, immature horns were the only part of the goats body that still held firmly on to the corpse.

North stared at the remnants of the young sniper in both shock and distaste, squeezing his nose shut with his paws as the smell of burnt flesh and boiled blood attacked his senses.

"Fuck! Over here!" He raised his free paw in the air as he allowed his M4 to hang by his side by it's trusty strap.

 _They're using kids? No wonder he was a bad shot! Those fucking shitfaces sent their child to his death!_

North stood still as his unit met up with him one by one, a few of the Marines holding bits of the sniper rifle while Lewy held a broken silver camera. Nearly all of the soldiers had the same reaction to the dead sniper as North had while maybe two of the Marines gagged enough to throw up their lunch into the bushes.

 _And a camera? They were filming this? This kid died for failed propaganda . . ._

North's vision suddenly flickered into a black abyss as the sound of his hospital rooms door handle clicking open stabbed into his restless sleep.

It had been three days of slow treatment in the Savannah Central Zootopian Hospital and North now awoke to start the fourth with another gruesome memory lodged in the back of his mind.

His ears pinned against his skull and his eyes winced in morning agony as the door opened and the lights in the white hospital room automatically sparked into life. He was surprised to see two ZPD officers enter the room with , who usually entered his room alone.

The doctor still held his friendly smile while he waved at North both apologetically and in a greeting as North's morning grogginess began to dissolve.

"Good morning, Mister Furrs! I'm sorry if I woke you up." Dr. Koyot slid next to the counter on the other side of the room next to the door while North raised brow at the officers with a confused glance, recognizing the pair instantly.

"No worries! I wasn't having the best dream anyways." North replied with as much of a positive tone as he could muster as the coyote smiled and lifted an paw towards the bunny and Fox officers that had accompanied him to his left.

"Well I hope it wasn't too bad!" Dr. Koyote paused as he glanced at the duo who now stood side by side in their crisp blue uniforms. "Mister Furrs, these officers would appreciate it if you could answer some questions. It shouldn't take too long."

The bunny waved gently while North gave Nick a small nod of recognition. "I think I've met them once or twice before." He grinned at the doctor as the coyote turned to leave the room.

"Then it should make the ordeal much less awkward." Dr. Koyot half chuckled as he exited the hospital room, leaving North alone with the two cops. The bunny, North knew as Judy, didn't allow even the natural hum of the room to take over as she immediately sprung into vocal action and skipped a few springy steps towards his hospital bed.

"Hi, I'm Judy Hopps, ZPD!" Judy cheerfully introduced herself as if she were reading off of a script she had used a plethora of times before. North shook his head as he stuck out a paw for a pawshake from the bubbling bunny.

"North Furrs, currently unemployed!" North responded with a small ice breaking joke as he shifted his gaze towards the other Fox in the room. "And we've met a few times, Nick."

Nick smirked and shook his head once before lifting a paw to shake North's. "It never seems like we meet during good situations, eh North?"

North chuckled and firmly accepted Nick's pawshake before lowering his paw to fiddle with the raise and lower buttons on his mattress. "Ha! Yeah. We'll have to have a beer together sometime when my life isn't turning into shit."

He pressed his middle finger on the plastic raise button on his bed and waited patiently as the top of the mattress began to raise like a backrest to a car chair, giving off a quiet metallic buzz as a small electric motor worked in the background. Nick nodded in agreement with North's friendly invite with a nod and a widening grin. "Oh, of course! You can never decline a cold one, especially when it's free!"

North laughed at the true statement before releasing the raise button and falling backwards into the comforting embrace of his bed as it supported him into a leaned back sitting position. He tilted his head to keep his gaze on the officers as they both held friendly smiles. Judy had produced a carrot pen from her belt and a handy yellow papered notebook as they finished introductions.

"Okay!" Judy clicked the pen to life as she quickly scribbled down a few scratches on her notebook in fine blue ink. "With every incident ZPD deals with, we have to write a report about it-" Nick released a small, "The boring stuff . . .", slightly interrupting the bunny who gave the Fox a quick jab in the arm with her elbow. Nick to mumbled a quite, "Ow!", before she was able to quickly ignore her partner and continue her sentence. "-So would you mind answering a few questions about what happened at Doe's Coffee Shop?"

North smiled at the two's quick exchange while nodding in response, his ears perking in amusement and his tail flicking quietly along the bed sheets. "Of course! What do you need to know, officers?"

He watched as Judy's toothy smile widened and she lifted her long ears successfully in the air. "Great! We just wanna know a few things on what was happening before the fireworks went off and your personal account on what followed."

North cringed at the thought of his personal experience with the freak event at his workplace and he noticed Nick raise a brow at his reaction. North quickly nodded and rubbed his paws together as he reconnected his memories. "Sure! Uh, just my experience?" He raised a brow as he phrased his question, wanting to know for sure what the officers wanted to hear. He knew for a fact that he wasn't going to share his panicked outbreak during the event, even it was brought up.

"Yup! We've already spoken with every other mammal involved and we just need your piece on the story." Judy was doing most of the talking as Nick turned to find a stool to sit on, which happened to be the same one Hazel had used when she had visited day previously.

North nodded with an "uh-huh," before he shifted his weight on his mattress and shrugged. He raised a brow as he glanced at her carrot pen while she quickly wrote down another note, her ears twitching as if she were listening to everything inside of the hospital.

"Mhm! So, starting off, I'd like to know what time you arrived at work." Judy gave North a friendly smile while Nick slowly adjusted the height of his stool with the small plastic lever beneath the black leather cushion.

North crossed his arms as he thought for a few seconds, humming a monotone note before letting his arms fall on his lap. "Around seven-ish. Those riots held up traffic on my normal route so I can't remember if I was late to work or not."

Judy nodded, as if she could relate exactly to the situation, as she quickly scratched down a quick few words. She began to next question even before she had finished what she was writing, raising her purple gaze back up to North. "Do you remember how long you were at work before the incident occurred?"

North closer his eyes and shook his head gently as he raised his paws beside his shoulders in another shrug. "Pfft, I really don't know. Maybe two to three hours? It wasn't very long. We didn't have many customers so it probably felt longer than what it actually was."

North glanced at Nick as he shifted his weight on the stool while Judy quickly wrote down another note on her yellow paper. The scratching sound of pen on paper made North's ears twitch as it scratched his sensitive morning hearing.

He was surprised when he heard Nick's smooth voice ask the next question, a hint of interest slipping out from his tone. "Could ya' describe the incident from how _you_ experienced it?"

North paused at the question, his mind burying itself in thought of how he could explain what happened in the shop **without** indulging everyone into his personal past life issues. He lowered his ears and nodded quietly as he raised his right pointer finger up to scratch his head while he held the pose of thought.

"Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Um. . ." He shook his head as he processed show to state his next phrases to correctly portray the scene. "The first thing that happened was a a bunch of- wait, no, just a singular firecracker went off outside of the shop. Hazel and I had no clue what it was at first, but then a whole bunch of them starting bursting right outside the window."

North waved his paws in front of his as if he were brushing them a wall, or window in this case. His ears perked as he kept his gaze on the two officers who both had their arms crossed and were listening intently.

"God, if was so damn loud! I thought the window was gonna shatter just from those going off. Then there was this loud screech, like those super loud fireworks the city uses for the fancy firework show on the fourth of July. And this dark red thing just smashed into the window like a missile, the whole thing completely shattered and the firework blew up right inside of the shop."

He almost painted a picture of the scene with his paws as he showed the motion of the rocket and a small explosion with a flick of his fingers out of a fist. Judy had begun to write on her notebook again and Nick continued to nod and sit quietly.

"By this time, Hazel and I were under the countertop and I had no idea I had even been hit with glass. I just thought I had hit my stomach on the counter while I was dropping down." North ran a paw over his stomach, feeling the bandages beneath his hospital shirt. He felt as if ,his small add on about him feeling as if he had hit the counter, might hide help hide the true fact that he had gone back to his military deployment in those few hectic seconds.

"Then I felt myself bleeding and my stomach started to feel as if it were on fire. Hazel came over to help. I don't really know how she found the police or got help so quickly, but a few officers came by after she left for a few seconds, then EMTs, and then next thing I know I woke up in a hospital bed."

North quickly concluded his story, feeling like he had given enough information to be helpful to the two officers. He watched as Nick perked his ears at the quick finish of the story and as Judy hurriedly finished her notes on her notebook, slapping it closed and clicking her carrot pen's ink tip back into the orange shape. She stuffed both items in her belt as Nick stood up from his stool with a seemingly satisfied nod.

Judy smiled and raised her gaze to North, who smiled in return as she lifted a small paw into the air for a pawshake. He happily accepted the gesture and repeated the process for Nick as he stepped from behind Judy to stand next to her.

"Well, thank you so much, North! That's all we needed to know." Judy put her paws on her hips as her tail fluttered successfully behind her. Nick held a friendly grin and nodded in agreement with her partner. "Ill see you around, Compass. Next time I see you, hopefully we can have 'cold one' and you'll be in better shape!"

North internally groaned, in both amusement and slight annoyance at the cheesy nickname Nick had suddenly given him, referring his name to the direction on a compass. He rolled his eyes as if to dismiss Nicks teasing words while he chuckled in response. "Hopefully I'll be able to find another job so I can actually buy a drink. Unless you wanna pay for me, pal?"

Nick snickered at North's response and shook his head before turning to leave with his partner. "Buddy, that depends if you have a job by then." He waved a single paw in the air in farewell as Judy waved quickly with a polite, "Have a great day!" She then turned with Nick and left the room with a small skip.

North smiled and waved in return. "You too!" He sat up, staring at the wooden door as it clicked shut and the two officers were out of the room and out of sight. He sighed and sunk back deeper into his soft bed. He stared at the white ceiling as he slowly drifted off into thought, his tail twitching as he closed his eyes in an attempt to possibly fall back asleep.

 _How the hell am I gonna pay for this?_

 _ **Judy's POV**_

Judy sighed as the door to North's hospital room closed behind her and she walked with a paw on her chin. She quickly became sucked into her own thoughts as the pair walked quietly down the call hallway.

 _Oh, that poor Fox.. What did he do to deserve this?_

 _Who would launch a firework into such a nice coffee shop?_

 _I feel like he didn't tell us everything. . ._

"Carrots."

Judy lifted her ears into the air and lifted her quizzical gaze up to Nick as his voice tore her out of her questions, her tail twitching with her nose as she quickly stuffed her thoughts aside to listen to her vulpine friend.

"What's on your mind?" Nick looked down at Judy with a questioning expression, his ears leveled out behind his head and his usual smirk folded into a flat line. "You've got that 'look'."

Judy sighed, looking down at the floor before stopping in her tracks. She crossed her arms and turned to look at Nick, her brows pinning tightly together while her foot tapped a few quick beats on the clean white tiled floor.

"I don't know, Nick! I feel bad for the guy. I also have this strange gut feeling that he left out something in his story." Judy stopped tapping her foot and shrugged as her partner nodded, listening to her speak her mind as his green gaze kept contact with hers.

He shook his head at her last statement. "Well, I agree that he left out a part of his story, because he did."

Judy widened her eyes as she looked at Nick in surprise of his words. "W-what? What did he leave out?" She watched as Nick crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall behind him, crossing his legs as he raised a brow at her.

"You didn't catch that he left out his 'panic attack' that Hazel told us about?" He let one arm drop from its fold with the other, his palm pointing out to the sky as if he were saying, 'how?', with his loose body language.

Judy's eyes widened even farther and she pointed a finger in the air and she quickly nodded as the memory of their talk with North's co-worker a day earlier popped back into her mind. "Oh! Oh, that's right! She said he had made the wound worse during his panic attack." She shook her head while Nick stood back up straight and shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe he just forgot? He was under a lot of stress." Nick released a sympathetic solution to their question, but he put his paws on his hips as Judy shook her head once again and quickly shut down his suggestion.

"No, I doubt that. I remember she told us that she had gone and talked to him about it. He clearly knows about what happened." She watched as Nick nodded slowly, pinning his ears back against his head. He jabbed a thumb back at North's room door with a flick of his tail.

"Should we go back and ask him about it?"

Judy paused for a moment before she shook her head in response, her ears flattening against her head while she let her paw drop to her sides. "No. I think it could be a touchy subject for him. I think we should probably just ask Hazel more about what they talked about because I doubt North'll want to talk about anything related to the panic attack. Especially if he didn't bring it up in his story."

Nick lowered his paws and stuffed them in his pockets as he nodded in agreement with his partner, turning back to continue their walk down the hospital hallway. "Whatever you say, carrots."

* * *

 _That's it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it took to long to create and post. I've been stuck with work and other full day activities that mad it hard for me to type. Expect a few more OCs in the next couple of chapters, thanks to the courtesy of poynton90 and TheGreatWaff! I just wanted to thank both of you for the ideas and concepts for future chapters. I appreciate any support/helpful ideas from both of you and anyone else!_

 _Thanks again! Have a great one!_


	9. Hazel

**Chapter 9**

 _ **Hazel**_

 _"When we feel weak, we drop our heads on the shoulders of others. Don't get mad when someone does that. Be honored. For that person trusted you enough to, even if subtly, ask you for help."_

― Lori Goodwin

 _Starting off, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I had lost my Kindle Fire that I use to type this story for nearly a week and wasn't able to write anything! So, I decided to get this chapter out quick, even though it might not be as long as I had originally wanted it to be. I will try and make the next chapter much longer to make up for the lacking length in this one. So, sorry again!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Hazel's POV**_

Hazel sat awkwardly alone inside of Savannah Central's 'Crane Cafè', tapping her foot quietly as time continued to pass slowly by. She wore a pair of tight, but comfortable, jeans and a clean, tan T-Shirt to complete her relaxed outfit. Her tail flicked in growing annoyance as she groaned and stuffed a white paw into her blue shorts pocket to grab her phone. After a split second of struggle, she tugged the device from her shorts and rested her elbows on the wooden table she sat at, glancing up at the empty black cushioned chair across from her before looking back at her phone.

She pressed the home button and watched the screen pulse into life, emitting the time, '6:44 PM', on the screen over a romantic background picture of her and her boyfriend Jack. She sighed at the cute scene of the hoodie-wearing Coyote holding her in his arms in front of a beautiful clear blue lake that matched the glowing sky. Jack had bright white smile across his muzzle and his blue eyes shined just as happily as hers as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Hazel tapped the home button once more and the screen cleanly transitioned into a text message display that she had opened and checked every five minutes since she had arrived at the café. The white heading read "Jackie" with three red heart emojis placed after her boyfriends name. She growled in slight frustration as she noticed no new messages had been received, even after Hazel had sent multiple nagging texts to grab his attention.

\- "Hey! Where are you?"

\- "Hello?"

\- "?"

\- "I've been here for an hour!"

\- "Did you forget about our date?"

\- "Jack!"

Hazel groaned and let her phone fall screen first on the table, ignoring the loud smack it made as it collided with the wood. She crossed her forearms along the lonely table and let her head rest on them angrily. Her tail flicked in annoyance as she could feel the confused gazes of other mammals dig into her back.

The café was moderately busy with mammals sitting quietly at tables or ordering their coffee and food to go. The building was very simple, but very comfortable in its wide design. The wooden front counter was placed in the direct forward view of the clear class front doors as they opened up into the café's soothing moss green painted interior. Circular oak tables were placed into two separate living room-like spaces on both sides of the front counter with clear views to a smart Tv and a gas fireplace on the farthest walls. Wide Windows allowed clear views into the bustling, but oddly beautiful, Zootpian roads as the sun slowly began to slip behind the tall skyscrapers that towered into the darkening atmosphere. All in all, it gave the Café a vacation cabin feel inside of a tight city square.

Hazel's ears suddenly perked and her head poked out from her arms as she felt and heard the familiar vibration and gentle buzz of her phone on the table as it received a text message. Her fidgety paws quickly took hold of her seizing device and flipped it around to view the now brightly illuminated screen. Her heart dropped almost as far as her expression and heavy ears as she read the first few lines of the text message that the cramped notification allowed her view.

"Hey babe! I know we had date night but the band..."

Hazel pinned her brows together and swiped her thumb along the screen, opening the notification in a flash of spiked agitation. The phones screen pulsed into a bright white before dissipating into the previously quiet text message display. A small white chat bubble emitted from the left side of the screen holding the contents of an apologetic sentence from Jack.

"Hey babe! I know we had date night but the band and i came up with an AMAZING new song idea! i know youll love it so plz forgive me and we'll plan another date this weekend?" The message was then followed by a stack of heart emojis and kissy faces that almost made the whole text adorable and tolerable.

Almost.

Hazel growled silently as she read her boyfriends text. She was both angry at his dismissal of their planned date night and the fact that he hadn't put enough time into typing his excuse to even fix the poor punctuation. Her thumbs immediately began to tap away at the abused phone screen as she vented out her impatience and irritation in a flurry of rapid text messages.

"What?! You're serious?"

"This was planned three days in advance!"

"I've been waiting here for an hour!"

"Fix your punctuation!"

"Damnit!"

Hazel then proceeded to add on a base of angry emojis before slapping her phone screen back against the table with an exaggerated groan. If mammals weren't looking at the salty vixen before, they had now definitely given her at least a small confused glance.

 _This is the third time in the past two weeks! Why the fuck am I still dating him if he won't show up to any dates?_

Hazel slumped down in her chair, letting her arms dangle from her shoulders and off the table while her head rested depressingly on the hard wooden platform. Her ears covered the back of her head like a protective shield from curious eyes as she struggled to hold back fits of anger while she tried to suppress her own angry thoughts and stay calm.

 _North got out of the hospital today! I could've been there instead of at this stupid date!_

 _This was a waste of my time!_

 _Stupid band!_

 _He's so cute though..._

 _Should I buy a coffee?_

 _Ugh, this is so annoying!_

 _Relax..._

"Hazel?"

A friendly and seemingly familiar female voice interrupted Hazel's erupting thoughts. Her ears quickly perked up and she lifted her head away from the tables gravity to lift her confused gaze at the purple-eyed bunny that suddenly stood in front of her quiet table.

"Officer Hopps! What are you doing here?" Hazel widened her eyes as she recognized the friendly police officer she had spoken to days previously about the 'workplace incident' and smiled in surprise at the unexpected meeting.

Judy wore a casual grey, small V-neck T-shirt with comfortable looking blue jeans that reached almost down past her ankles. The outline of her phone protruded from her pants pocket and a pair of crumpled up headphones barely poked out from the top of her device. If Hazel didn't know that Judy was a cop, she would have never been able to guess the officer's line of work.

"I'm off duty so I'd thought I'd grab myself a cup of coffee, and call me Judy, please!" Hopps smiled as she flicked her ears and pointed at the empty chair across from the arctic vixen with a quizzical frown. "Is this spot taken?"

Hazel pressed her back against the backrest of her chair as she quickly shook her head in response to the question. "Not anymore! My date decided not to show up tonight, so be my guest and sit down, Judy." She crossed her arms, releasing her right paw to momentarily motion towards the open chair as she spoke before sighing almost silently.

Judy smiled happily and nodded with a cheery, "Thank you," as she hopped up onto the cushion of the chair, her fluffy tail fidgeting gratefully. "So your date ditched you?"

Hazel pressed her brows together and nodded frustrated as the suddenly curious bunny leaned back against the slightly oversized backrest of the chair.

"Mhm. He's with his dumb band! All like," she paused for a flash of a second and lowered her voice as if to imitate Jack, "The band's got this new song, you'll love it babe!" Her paws flicked in the air in a jazzy spasm before she allowed them to flop back into the table with a groan.

Judy simply nodded in response, soaking up Hazel's rants as she vented out her current personal struggles.

"I was planning on visiting North out of the hospital today, but I had this date, and now he's already at home, and he's probably asleep, and I don't want to be annoying. . ." Hazel shook her head before pressing her back against the sturdy backrest of her chair and glancing across the table at the quiet bunny who had now crossed her arms and had her ears perked like trees in the air.

"Speaking of North. . ." Judy budged in her quick topic as the subject produced itself naturally out of Hazel's situation and she rested her paws along the wooden edge of the circular table, holding her gaze professionally with Hazel's. "I know I'm off duty, but I've got a few more questions about the workplace incident regarding him and his 'panic attack'."

Hazel flattened her ears and raised a brow at Judy, suddenly curious about why the officer needed to know more about North's strange reaction to the fireworks. Her tail flicked smoothly to her side as her previous frustrations were shuffled into the back of her mind.

"Oh? Didn't he tell you his part of what happened?" Hazel shuffled forward in her seat and rested her elbows back down onto the table as Judy shook her head in response, her eyes closing for a moment as she did so. The bunny lifted a palm of her paw into the air as her elbows also rested gently on the table.

"He didn't say anything about his panic attack, and he acted as if nothing like that had happened." Judy titled her head to the side as Hazel shrugged and twitched her ears with response.

"Most likely, North left it out because it's a touchy subject," She lifted her right paw in the air as if she were holding up her suggestion, "or he just forgot." She rose her left paw in the air the same way she had her right paw as she finished, both of her palms open and facing the sky.

Judy raised a brow at Hazel, shaking her head quickly. "Nick and I thought the most logical reason for him skipping the event in his story was due to it being 'touchy', like you just said." She hesitated for a moment, her nose quivering and her eyes blinking before she spoke again a second later. "Do you have any idea as to why it would be a difficult subject for him to talk about?"

The vixen paused for a moment, her ears flicking against the back of her head as she slowly recollected the conversation she and North had. Hazel averted her eyes from Judy as if looking at the ceiling would help her remember what he had said. She sigh slowly, closing her eyes as she leaned back against her chair. "Well, I found out that he has a military background. He didn't really want to talk much about it." She opened her eyes to see Judy nod slowly, seeming to memorize what Hazel had said instead of pull out her carrot pen and paper.

"I saw that on a file." Judy's nose twitched again as she clearly began to work her mind for possible solutions. Hazel crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her gaze to the wooden table in front of her as pretended to do the same, though her thoughts seemed to be hitting a large and impenetrable wall. Her attention was quickly taken by the sudden flick of grey ears perking into the air in her upper peripheral vision as Judy sat up straight and clapped her paws together in a sign of possible success.

"Oh! Hazel, has North ever told you anything about his military career, or just anything significant in general, that could be related to some type of. . ." Judy swung her hands around in the air around her face as if she were searching for the right choice of words in an invisible haystack, her eyes rolling slightly as she became irritated with her sudden caution. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Now I'm not saying he has PTSD! I've just heard multiple stories, and seen many police records, of vets and other military persons breaking down in public places due to a 'panicked' and instinctive response to something happening around him or her." Judy seemed to speak with her hands, waving them around gently as she tried to explain her thought process to Hazel as the fox's eyes widened at the thought the bunny brought up.

It made logical sense, at least to Hazel it did. North was clearly irritated when Hazel prodded on about his military career when they had last spoken to each other. If he had a form of PTSD he was dealing with, then that could explain his distaste of his past. Though she couldn't truly believe that his disorder, if he had one, would be severe enough to cause him to mentally break down like he had done during the incident at the coffee shop. North had never publicly shown signs to Hazel that he was internally struggling, which made it hard for her to fully believe that he had PTSD.

"You get what I'm saying, right?"

Hazel had been so caught up on her own thoughts that she had forgotten to reply back to Judy who was now tilting her head to the side as she examined Hazel in front of her. Hazel perked her ears up quickly and nodded in response, not wanting Judy to think that she wasn't listening.

"Y-Yeah, I get it. It's just hard for me to believe that North could have anything like that. " Hazel rested her elbows back on the table as she leaned back on the circular surface. "He's never done anything like this before, or at least I've never seen him do anything like this before. I mean," she paused for a small second, shrugging as she fought internally about what to believe," it would explain why he got upset with me for trying to talk about his past career."

Judy nodded in response, absorbing the information Hazel gave to her as she spoke her thoughts on the subject. "We won't know for sure unless we find a way to have him talk about his break down." Both of the mammals ears twitched into the sky at the sound of a phone buzzing from a text message, both of them glancing down and away from each other to check their devices. Hazel frowned as she noticed that she had received no new messages, lifting her gaze back up to Judy who was already hurriedly tapping her thumbs away on her phone screen. The sound of tiny clicks from the phone's digital keyboard being pressed filled up the small silence between the two females as Hazel patiently waited for Judy to finish her return message.

The sound of a quiet 'woosh' from the phone sending the text message helped end the silence as Judy smiled and raised her attention back to Hazel, who instinctively smiled back in return.

"That was just Nick. I swear he never stops texting me!" Judy spoke as she stuffed her phone back in her pocket while Hazel laughed quietly in her seat.

"I wish my boyfriend was the same, I swear he never texts me enough." Hazel smiled, making her statement seem like a friendly joke towards Jack, even though she truly wished for him to communicate with her on a much higher scale than he did now. Judy let out a friendly chuckle as she slowly began to stand up from her seat.

"I should probably head out. If you'd like, I can try and search up a few files on North's history? If he _is_ struggling from PTSD, he isn't telling anyone we know of. If nobody helps him it could get much worse." Judy hopped over to Hazel and sticking out a polite paw towards her. Hazel accepted the pawshake with a slow nod, her curiosity about what happened to North overtaking her concerns about his overall privacy.

"Sure. Anything to help, right?"

Judy released another one of her contagious smiles, nodding quickly in response as she put her paws on her hips. "Of course! Hopefully we'll find that he doesn't have any type of disorder at all." She turned and began to migrate towards the café's front door, waving a paw behind her in farewell. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Hazel!"

Hazel returned the wave, holding her own smile as she watched the bunny leave. "I'll try! See ya' Judy!" She didn't bother to stop Judy to give the officer her number, remembering that she had given it to the officer's during their first meeting a few days earlier.

She watched as the off-duty officer strolled out of the building before turning back to stare at the now empty seat across from her. Her brows pinched together as thoughts of North and Jack swam in her head, both positive and negative.

 _North'll be fine. . . Maybe I can visit him tomorrow? Should I buy him a 'welcome home' card?_

 _Nah. . ._

 _Ugh, I need to talk with Jack._

 _Damnit, I'm gonna be up all night thinking about all of this. . ._

Hazel groaned as she pushed her chair back, standing up and sliding her hands around her pockets to check if she had everything she had brought. She pulled out her phone to check the time. The digital time display on the screen flicked from "7:34" to "7:35" as she pushed the home button to turn on her phone. Her eyes widened as she noticed that she had been at the Café for nearly another hour.

"At least I didn't completely waste my time." She mumbled to herself as she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and turned to leave the café. Having bought nothing to eat or drink, she decided that it was best for her to head home and make herself her own meal instead of stay in the emptying shop any longer.

 _I have to get my mind off of all of this! If I find this stressful, I can't imagine what North could be going through._

* * *

 _That's it! Again, sorry for the lack of length in this chapter. I felt as if I had taken way to long to post this due to me unfortunately losing my device for awhile and that this chapter accomplished what I wanted it to. I hope you enjoyed it, I'll do my best to write the next chapter in the best quality and speed I can. Have a good one!_


	10. Job Offer

_**Chapter 10**_

 _ **Job Offer**_

 _"_ _The victims of PTSD often feel morally tainted by their experiences, unable to recover confidence in their own goodness, trapped in a sort of spiritual solitary confinement, looking back at the rest of the world from beyond the barrier of what happened. They find themselves unable to communicate their condition to those who remained at home, resenting civilians for their blind innocence."_

 _The Moral Injury, New York Times. Feb 17, 2015_  
― **David Brooks**

* * *

"North! What're you doing? Stand up!"

North couldn't stand up. His limps felt like one-hundred pound weights as he lay heavily on the dirt floor of the shell covered, mud-brick home he and David had used for cover. The ringing in his ears felt like tornado sirens going off beside him, adding an irritating headache to his already intensifying pain around his body. He wanted to tell his friend that he couldn't move, but the only noise that came from his mouth was a stuttered cough as his breath had been stolen away by his fall.

The smoke from the rocket propelled grenade's explosion still infected the room as cheap curtains began to burn and sizzle, giving off a gross plastic smell. Dust covered North's face as the sound of the reality around him slowly replaced the ringing. First came the crackling of David's M4 as it released lethal ammunition into foreign mammals outside of the walls surrounding the two Marines. Next came the sound of screaming and yelling of words North could and couldn't understand along with the sound of bullets colliding with the home's exterior with dull and echoing thuds.

"North!"

David's voice had grown back to it's usual volume, only the sounds of combat defied it's clarity as North stared at the crumbling ceiling above himself. He began to recognize a dull and slowly intensifying pain around his shoulder blade while he began to comprehend his surroundings. He could see the light brown colored and shattered table he lay on and felt bits of wood stabbing into his unprotected parts of his body like needles.

To the left of North, David was taking cover on the left side of a busted window from a quick hail of sporadic bullets, tucking himself into the corner of the crammed house. Glass and broken objects like pottery, tables, furniture, lay randomly along the ground while few items like bookshelves and a smaller table lay almost untouched in their own protected corners of the building. The door to the house was held shut by a weak looking, wooden chair between North and David's window while smoke and rising dust from the ground polluted the air. The sun's hot rays glared through the broken windows and illuminated the unsettled dirt and smoke, waving and pulsing as bullets slithered through them and slammed into collapsing walls.

"Damnit, North!" North watched in both a confused and pained daze as David scrambled away from his window and came to a sliding stop beside him, hurriedly setting his weapon aside as he reached his paws out to the fox. North closed his eyes with a cough as he felt a strong grip pull him up to a sitting position, nearly gagging in pain as his dislocated shoulder hung limply off his right side. He called out his pain with a gasping yelp, gritting his teeth together while his body stiffened instinctively. His left paw rose to his right shoulder, barely able to reach it over his uncomfortably shifted uniform and protective plates along his chest.

"F-Fuck!" North cursed as David seemed oblivious to his injury while the timber wolf tried to hoist his friend up by his armpits. North's butt slammed back into the uneven ground as his friend let go of his arms after realizing his mistake, and joined in on the fluent release of swearing. North mumbled in discomfort as his shoulder now cracked and rubbed agonizingly against it's empty socket. David gently rested him against the nearest wall, ignoring the random and inaccurate rounds bouncing off the homes exterior.

"David, what's wrong with my shoulder?" North could barely let out a sentence without coughing as the air was finally returning to his dust polluted lungs. He stole a glance down to his arm and saw, with an awe-like confusion, his limb somehow hanging farther forward than usual and that it felt unresponsive to his attempts at moving it.

"It's dislocated. Should I pop it back in?" North could feel his friends paws steadily hovering over his back as David responded, hearing doubt in his voice while the sounds of gunfire still pounded around them. He didn't get a second to reply as the sound of another explosion rippled through the building interrupted them, sending dust from both the ground and ceiling into the air.

Both he and David ducked their heads in response to the thundering shockwave along with the smoke and bright orange puffs of heat that chased it through the open windows. The second RPG had obviously missed the house and had hit around it's base as dirt was thrown into the air and shielded the house from the sun for a few quick seconds.

As North lifted his head back up, he had only enough time to see David grip his shoulder tightly before his friend yelled out, "Fuck it!", and pulled outwards on his arm. He screamed out in a burst of agony as an ugly click met his ears, though no pain met his body as the world around him was suddenly met with a still darkness.

North's eyes snapped open and his heart pounded against his chest as he stared upwards at a white, more sturdy looking ceiling than he had been staring in his dream. His shoulder felt achy, like a stiff muscle that was acting up from sleeping on his side wrong, but the overall pain of his nightmare had vanished. His soft white T-shirt and cotton pants were slimy with sweat in every pit of his body as he grabbed his heavy blankets and threw them to the side of his bed and against the wall.

His fur was matted down in uncomfortable places and his ears seemed to be bent in awkward directions as he swayed his legs off of his mattress and onto his wooden floors. His toes slipped onto the smooth ground as he stood up, running his paws down his face as he groaned in frustration and agitation. His nightmares had become worse and more realistic in his mind ever since he had broken down during the 'Doe's Coffee Shop Firework Incident.'

He figured it was only temporary, though a few dreams left him unable to sleep afterwards as shards of disgusting and demoralizing memories cluttered his tired mind. It had been two days since his release from the hospital and only David Clawson was there to help him get settled back into his apartment. Hazel had come a day later with a pan of family recipe brownies and a birthday card.

She had said she couldn't find any appropriate "normal cards", so she had grabbed the one that had a small music box in it and played a catchy tune when it was opened. She had crossed out the yellow, bubble lettered words, "Happy Birthday" and had replaced them with the statement, "Glad you're okay" with a blue ink pen on the white surface. Of course, North found the fact that she had gone out of her way to make brownies and buy him a card very heartwarming. He would have been satisfied if she had just shown up only to say hello and chat for a few minutes!

Hazel had stayed for a few hours afterward, ranting on about how her boyfriend Jack had ditched her once again on date night to work with his band. He felt sympathy for her, knowing that events like that were depressing, but he secretly wished for her to move away from Jack. This was a selfish thought and he had easily been able to stuff it away in the back of his mind, though he could occasionally feel it's distant tug the more he had talked with her.

But now he stood alone in his dark apartment with only the weak white light of the moon filtering through his thin blue curtains to illuminate his room. He glanced over to his alarm clock, wincing at the dim red numbers appeared blurry with his morning vision. The digital screen read out ,"5:45 A.M." and North frowned at how early he had woken up.

 _At least I don't have work today. . ._

He grinned at his own joke, slowly finding a way to distract his mind from pulling up flashes of vivid memories that now threatened to follow his dream. He rubbed his paws over his eyes, scrubbing away a scratch of morning dullness with a prolonged yawn. He lifted his arms out horizontally as he scanned over his sticky clothes, his natural night vision helping him confirm how dirty he felt. He grabbed the base of his shirt before stripping it from his torso, pulling it over his head and tossing it inaccurately at the closest laundry bin beside the window.

North then stared at the white bin quietly as he began to mentally file through his choices of what he could do next. He could sleep and ignore the high probability of another nightmare, shower and clean himself up, or he could flop on the couch and watch Tv. He could feel his exhaustion dragging back through his limbs and tired eyes as he glanced back at his bed, noticing how messy the sheets were with sweat and crumpled blankets. He sighed and raised a brow, the options of what he could do fighting for control over his body.

"Fuck it. I'll sleep on the couch." North mumbled to himself as he stumbled out of his room, his legs naturally following a memorized path towards his soft couch inside of his small square living room. The black leather cushions felt like the world's softest pillow as he collapsed into their embrace, closing his eyes as his face and muzzle became buried in the plush seats.

His shirtless body wiggled into the bottom of the backrest, his fur seeping into the cracks between each cushion as he shifted his weight around to get comfortable. His pants became twisted around his furry legs and North had to pull them back into shape, lifting his hips into the air as he pulled the grey cloth back into a semi-comfortable position on his lower half.

His tail hung lazily off the side of the couch as he pushed himself deeper into the folds of the cushions, laying on his stomach, folding his arms beneath his chest, and allowing his feet to press against the opposite armrest. He sighed contently as his mind began to burn with the desire for more sleep, any caution for avoiding nightmares vanishing as he shut himself back away into darkness and awaited patiently for the grip of sleep to take ahold of him.

 **. . .**

The sun pierced through the living room windows as the curtains were pulled aside to allow more light into the small apartment. A digital clock read a boastful "8:38 A.M." as a routine morning commotion came from the main space of the apartment. The Tv played ZNN News in the background from its rightful place upon the wall while as the beeping alarm of the microwave from the tiny kitchen declared an end to its work.

North turned away from his portable coffee brewer on the kitchen counter to face the annoying microwave, popping open the door to reveal a steaming bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal. He reached out a cautious pair of paws to the hot bowl as he quickly transferred his breakfast onto the kitchen counter beside his coffee brewer, cursing as the heated ceramic material burnt his fingers.

He groaned, pulling his paws away from the bowl and flicking them around in the air as if shaking them would make the pain go away. His tail lashed once in irritation as he allowed his oatmeal to cool off. North opened a drawer below the microwave and grabbed a clean silver spoon from a pile of neatly organized silverware. He turned back around, pushing the drawer shut with his hips as he shuffled back towards his slightly colder meal.

He leaned his elbows against the countertop and watched the news quietly from his place in the kitchen. He bent his paw down towards his oatmeal, holding his spoon naturally between his fingers while he scooped off the top layer of his oats without taking a glance down at his bowl. His ears remained perked while he listened to reports ZNN was sharing, eating his oatmeal as he did so.

"-Further news; the naked body of a timber wolf was found in the bathroom of a small business this morning. No identity for the wolf has been confirmed and no possible suspects have been found."

"-Riots continue throughout the streets of Zootopia, and are slowly getting closer to city hall. The ZPD has made several arrests for assault, theft, and vandalism as juveniles are taking this time to go against the law. . ."

"-Famouse pop star "Gazelle" has begun to shout out on social media _against_ the disruptive riots; claiming she "doesn't fully disagree with the morals of the rioters" and how they are protesting against Mayor Black, but dislikes how they are "giving the beautiful city of Zootopia a bad reputation."

"-How's the weather going to be like today, Karen?"

Event after event continued to flow through ZNN, whether it be about the riots or a newly broken world record, the reporters always had something to talk about. North took the last bite of his oatmeal, clamping his muzzle shut over the spoon and dragging the viscous dose of oats from the silverware and onto his tongue. After putting his spoon and empty bowl in the sink, he turned back towards the bedroom. His tail swayed along the ground as he strode out of the kitchen and back into his room, taking a smooth left to face towards his dresser and bed.

His sleek, silver PAW-Book Air laptop lay folded beside his black alarm clock with a small white charger cord slithering up the side of the dresser and connecting into a small port on the left side of the device. A steady green light emanated from a small circle on the chargers tip, showing off the signal that the computer was fully charged and ready for use.

North grabbed the laptop from it's place on top of the dresser and unplugged the magnetic charger, letting the cord fall back onto the dresser with a small click from it's small impact against the wooden surface. He then did a clean and well practiced heel-turn back towards the door and marched back out to his couch. ZNN still played proudly on the Tv as he plopped back down on the sinking cushions, leaning gently against the left armrest as he pried open his laptop. The small Paw logo on the back of the laptop illuminated into a while light just like the screen as the computer started up, the sound of a tiny fan from within the built in keyboard reached North's ears as he lay his paws along it's square buttons.

He hadn't set a password for his computer so the screen quickly bloomed into a neatly organized desktop screen. Sleek blue folders lined the outer right rim of the screen over a clear and fresh Marine Corps logo desktop picture. A small bar of apps and web browsers protruded from the bottom of the screen and North used his right pointer finger along the square track pad to guide the black mouse down to the dock, hovering it over an envelope shaped app insignia. He double clicked on the email icon, waiting patiently as his computer pulled up a sleek message browser. He raised a brow towards the screen as he noticed he had received two new messages; something he was not expecting.

A few days prior, North had been scanning the internet for available jobs and had come across a useful website that found open jobs that suited the patrons personal skill set through a small quiz, for free. He had given the website his email, hoping that any decent paying jobs would come his way and would save him the time consuming process of searching for an open position in any store, restaurant, or miscellaneous type of employment.

The first email was one North had been looking forward too, the email from the website "QuickEmployer", that stood ready to be open and viewed. The second email was both surprising and unexpected. The email was sent by, "jessica-clawton" and North's tail twitched as he recognized the name almost immediately.

Jessica Clawton, or Jessy as North always called her, was a high school friend and former partner in a two year relationship that had tragically ended with the ending of their senior year. The last time he had seen her was at the graduation ceremony, which also happened to land on her birthday - June first. He remembered that the attractive arctic wolf was actively involved in the Student Council and few ideas of what the email could possibly be about popped into his brain. All of the positive memories of Jessy also flooded back into his head as his mouse hovered over the tab to open the email.

Her shy but caring personality, her soft white fur and contagious smile, her distaste for loud noises and being the center of attention, and her giggly squad of friends she had always forced him to talk to all flooded back to him. North sighed to himself as he double clicked on the email, waiting quietly as the browser rushed to open up the message.

The browser flicked into a white page with black text popping up quickly afterwards in the format of a formal letter. North raised a brow as he scrolled through the beginning of the message, noticing it had been forwarded to multiple other mammals under a small separate tab beneath Jessy's own email address. His ears perked and his nose twitched as he quickly realized what the email was about, slightly disappointed that it wasn't directed personally towards himself.

* * *

Hello, Graudating class of 2011!

This is Jessica Clawton, president of your graduating class's Zootopia Savanna Central High School Student Council. I'm sending out this email to all 394 graduating students in our grade to remind you all of our upcoming 8 year class reunion!

I am very excited to tell you that this special event will be hosted by your very own ZSC High School inside of the gymnasium, though you are free to explore the building for the sake of getting some of those memories back! A link to the school website for the address is posted at the end of this email, but hopefully none of you forgot where your school is located! Food and beverages will be provided, but we encourage you all to bring something to share with your former classmates. A DJ will be present for music and yard games will be set out across the gym floor for extra entertainment!

The reunion is scheduled for June 7th, starting at 3:00 PM until 9:00 PM. Feel free to come and go as you wish. There is no entrance fee to get into the building, but please enter through the main doors with a smile and an excited attitude! I hope to see all you there! Enjoy the rest of your day and GO FALCONS!

* * *

North chuckled as he noticed Jessy had thrown in the school mascot at the end of the email. She had always had school spirit and it was apparent that she still held pride for her school even eight years later.

"Class reunion. . " He swiped his paw across the track pad, right from left, pulling out a transparent black display from the right side of the screen. A calendar hovered over a few blue tabs that gave the weeks weather forecast and his eyes quickly scanned over the nearly empty spaces of the June calendar. He shrugged as he noticed June seventh was next week on a Saturday and he hovered his mouse over the empty square that marked that specific date.

"I guess I'm free next week. Why not?" North double clicked on the small square, highlighting it and typing up a quick, 'Class reunion - 3-9. Bring chips' before swiping his paw back across the track pad and pushing the display back into the right side of the screen. He then guided the mouse back up to the email browser, clicking a thin tab with the label 'inbox' and watching as Jessy's email disappeared back into a now transparent grey tab.

His focus was then quickly stolen by the first email, his tail swaying curiously against the couch as he double clicked the white message tab from 'QuickEmployer'. The browser buffered for a few moments, a thin blue line slithered along the top of the window to visibly show it's processing progress before the screen emitted another blank white page as the line reached the other side of the window.

Quickly, text snapped onto the page, followed by a baby-blue internet link to the 'QuickEmployer' website for his job search results. North's eyes hovered over the plain greeting of the email before ignoring the rest of the paragraphed instructions and double clicking the link. The computer's internet browser slapped up another window, the thin blue line once again appeared and began it's journey across it's designated portion of the screen.

The results page was very professional and logically simple. It had a grass green header with the words, "Hello, North!" printed in bold letters above the 'QuickEmployer' logo and name in smaller font. The page below it was a soft white with company advertisement pictures printed cheerily on the right side and wide transparent grey tabs posted neatly on the left. A small text box hovered over the tabs with the text, "Interested Employers" and stood proudly beside a small link implanted in the blue text of "View your personal application here!"

North counted nearly ten tabs with just a small glance, noticing that each tab had the name of different companies or other businesses printed above the name of a job position and starting pay. After studying the top few tabs, he realized that each job offer was organized in order from the largest starting pay to the lowest.

His brows raised in sudden interest as he took time to look over the very first tab with a starting pay of eighteen dollars per hour.

 _Zootopian Protection Agency?_

North's eyes scanned over the position opening, letting out a silent 'oh' as the reasoning for the high pay mentally clicked.

 _Executive Protection: Security Guard. Of course this would show up. . ._

North remembered clicking the 'Yes' option on military experience when he had filled out his application and quiz. He assumed this agency had seen this part of the application and had, 'deemed him worthy', In North's terms, to be applicable for the job. After a quick scroll through the rest of the tabs and failing to find another job that interested him out of the many coffee shop and restaurant job offers, he decided to further his research on his first job offer.

He maneuvered the mouse back over the top of the Zootopian Protection Agency tab and double clicked it on the track pad. He didn't have to wait long for the added information to slide out from underneath the tab in the form of another email. North began to read out loud to himself, mumbling quietly as he thoroughly processed the email's content.

"Hello, North! My name is Brady Bare, the recruitment officer for the ZPA. I found and read through your application and noticed that you have a strong military background."

 _I called that one._ North chuckled to himself as he continued reading, finding the email very professional sounding and interesting.

"That kind of experience is important and very helpful for the job the ZPA is reaching out to offer you. As you may have noticed, the Security Guard position was followed after 'Executive Protection' - which means your job would be primarily providing protection to a mammal in office, and as a security guard for the ZPA, you will be armed with the necessary weapons and tools to do so. You would be working with fellow guards with similar backgrounds, training, and pay as yourself. I strongly advise you to consider this great opportunity to utilize your military background and to further your abilities with the ZPA! We would be proud to add you to our team. I have added other detail for this job below. If you have any questions about the job, please email me with the link below - Also email me if you are interested in considering a job at ZPA! Thank you."

North nodded slowly as he finished the paragraphed body of the email and re-read it once more. The professional formality of the email already drew him into the prospect of accepting the job as he also found the starting pay very attractive. But before making any decisions, North wanted to finish the rest of the email and read through all of the information he was given. He used his two right middle fingers along the track pad to scroll down on the page and found a list of more information below the promising message he had just studied.

" **ZPA: Executive Protection Station Location: Zootopia City Hall** "

" **Additional** **Job Requirements: Firearm Safety Certificate, Drivers License.** _"_

" **Preferred Applicants: Prior Military - Any Branch, Former Career in Law Enforcement or Security.** "

" **Executive Protection Lead Officer: Andrew Wolfton - Age 36."**

North finished scrolling once he saw the link to the recruitment officer's email, hovering the mouse over the text as his brows furrowed in thought. His tail tapped on the couch cushions gently as doubt began to creep into his thoughts.

 _I could handle this job! Imagine how fast I could rake in some cash. . ._

 _I haven't done anything like this for a while. . ._

 _This sounds way easier than the Marines! - Well of course it is, dipshit._

 _Fuck, I just got out of the hospital._

 _Ah, fuck it._

North clicked on the email link, watching as the familiar email browser rushed it's way to the front of the screen, stealing the spotlight from the 'QuickEmployer' website. The list of emails rested behind a square page in the bottom right corner of the window with Brady's email posted on a space labeled 'To:'. A 'Subject' space held the blinking cursor as it stood ready to be filled out.

North typed up a quick, "Job Offer - Executive Protection Security Guard" for the subject of the email before tapping the Tab button to move the cursor down into the actual space to type the email. His fingers locked onto the correct buttons for the optimal typing position before letting them fly across the keyboard.

* * *

Hello, Brady! I received the information you sent me about your job opening at the ZPA and I am emailing you to say that I am interested in filling that empty position. My schedule is open anytime this upcoming weekend for an interview, so please email me back with a date that works best for you.

Thank you!

\- North Furrs

* * *

North double checked and triple checked his email for any flaws as he wanted it to feel as professional and serious as Brady's. Once he was satisfied with his work, he slowly pushed the mouse down to the white boxed send button, circling the black arrow around in a few hesitant circles before clicking the button with a small outtake of breath.

The laptop emitted a small _woosh_ as it sent the email, the small page for creating the message fading away to a yellow smiling emoji before disappearing all together. North sat back into the couch, letting the cushions embrace his body as he stared at his screen. His ears flattened up against the backrest while he let the bright satisfaction of successfully applying for a job hang in his gut. His paws fell limp and slid off of the laptop to rest on the couch with his tail. Slowly, the news began to fade back into his ears, gently stealing his attention away from his laptop. He blinked a few times, lifting his paws up as he ran them through the fur on his face. He sighed to himself and shook his head, thoughts and optimistic ideas of what he could achieve flew around his head.

 _Eighteen bucks an hour? Who the hell would I be providing security for? Maybe I could actually do something against these damn riots! The email said I'd be armed. . . I hope this isn't as tightly restricted like the Marines. I'm finally gonna be the dude with a kick-ass job! Like, "Yeah, I'm an Executive Security Guard, where do you work?"_

 _. . ._

 _I wonder if Hazel's found a job yet._

* * *

 _That's it for Chapter 10! I know these past few chapters have been kind of slow and short, but I promise some action will be happening in chapters to come! I have plans already forming in my mind about North's future in his new job. I want to thank TheGreatWaff and poynton90 for their OCs they have generously allowed me to use in my story (Jessica Clawton and Andrew Wolfton)! They have awesome stories and have both given me advice and fantastic ideas for this story, so THANK YOU! If anyone has any ideas they'd like to see in this story, feel free to share them with me and we can try and figure out something exciting! And sorry if this chapter somehow feels choppy, or strange. I've been almost in a writers block for this section of the story as I've tried to make it interesting and enjoyable to read. I've also only been able to type LATE at night as my schedule has been jam packed during the day, so I could lay out that excuse as well. Also, if QuickEmployer is a real website, I DID NOT KNOW. It probably is something out there, but I did not try to claim or steal the name. I just needed a logical website name for this part of the story._

 _Anyways, Enjoy the rest of your day!_


	11. Recruitment

_**Chapter 11**_

 _ **Recruitment**_

 _Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing._

 **\- Helen Keller**

* * *

The Executive Security Recruitment office for the Zootopian Protection Agency inside of City Hall was smaller than what North had expected it to be. The room held a heavy five-foot long wooden desk with a small leather couch along the left side wall for a more comfortable waiting experience.

Two flexible plastic chairs were placed in front of the desk which held a sleek black desktop computer, a few plain white coffee mugs, and a collection of adorable family photos of a cheery family of polar bears. A square landline phone was plugged into an outlet below the desk on the thin blue carpeted floors and the cord trailed up to the phones rightful place beside the computer.

The walls were painted in a comfortable navy blue while a wide full-wall window gave a clear view of the large expansive city nearly twenty stories below. A small ceiling fan hung from the white textured ceiling beside an oval light that gave the room extra light along side the sunlight from the windows and framed awards hung along the walls to showcase the great success of the ZPA.

All of this was packed together with little extra space and North sat patiently alone on one of the slightly oversized plastic chairs in front of the wooden desk, his fingers tapping quietly on his blue jeans. He wore a clean white collared T-shirt with no tie and kept his phone stuffed in his front right pocket, not wanting to be distracted when his interviewer for his security job came into the room.

His blue eyes scanned the tidy and well-organized office, admiring the awards patiently as the five-minute silence continued to hang over the clean space. His tail swung gently behind him and off of the chair as he leaned back against the seat backrest, letting out a small yawn as he glanced up at a small clock that hung behind the desk.

"Ten O'four A.M." North spoke the time out loud to himself as he read the clock, looking back down at Brady's desk for nearly the thousandth time. He began to sink into his own thoughts before the sound of a wooden door creaking opening behind him stole away his attention.

North turned his head and shoulders back towards the door to see a friendly looking Polar Bear with a professional navy blue suit and plain black tie clicked onto his white collared undershirt. He had black shoes shined almost as much as his smile as Brady moved towards North's chair with an extended paw.

North quickly jumped off of his seat and gripped Brady's paw in a firm paw-shake, returning the toothy smile as he raised his head to meet the larger mammal's gaze.

"Hello! You must be North! I'm Brady Bears. I'm sorry for the wait, I had to drop off a bit of paperwork at a co-worker's office." The Polar Bear's deep voice broke the room's earlier vocal silence as he greeted his applicant with a smile.

North shrugged and waved a paw in dismissal, holding his smile as he kept a positive attitude. "Nice to meet finally meet you, Brady! And no worries, I've had to wait in much worse places." He complimented the recruiter's office, taking one more glance around the tidy space as he returned to his chair, hoisting himself back up onto the seat as Brady moved behind his desk.

"I try and keep it as clean as I can." Brady's smile somehow brightened at North's compliment as he sat down in a more comfortable looking chair than North was currently sitting at. "So, you're interested in our job opening?"

North nodded and sat up straight in his chair, keeping a strong posture. "Definitely! I read your email and decided this would be good for me."

Brady returned the nod and removed a yellow folder from a drawer hidden below the desk's frame. He dropped the papers onto the desk, flicking them open and scanning through what seemed to be North's record and background information.

"I see that you were apart of the Military. Uhm, First Marine Regiment in the First Marine Division, correct?" Brady lifted his gaze back up to North with a raised brow, silently asking him if the information was correct.

North nodded, his ears flicking gently as the labels of his past rolled off of the Polar Bear's tongue. "Mhm. 'The First of the First'." North slithered back into the depths of his chair while keeping his upright posture and professional tone. Brady nodded slowly, his eyes lowering back down at the paperwork beside his large paws.

The room was silent for a few distant seconds as he shifted the papers around, visibly scanning the information on each file. North began to tap his fingers along his thigh as a growing curiosity of what was held on those papers slithered through his head.

He shifted his weight on his seat as he noticed the ZPA Recruiter raise a brow and release a small, "Hmm." Brady glanced back up at North, tapping his pointer finger at the piece of paper that now lay on the top of the stack.

"It says here that you served two terms overseas and received a Purple Heart on your second deployment." North's tail twitched as Brady sat back in his chair, a look of interest sticking to the white-furred mammal's muzzle. "Must've been one hell of a time over there. I served one deployment myself, but I never saw a lot of," he raised two fingers in the air and wiggled them to signify quotation marks, "action, as mammals could call it."

North was suddenly interested and nodded in reply. He hadn't talked to many other veterans since he had gotten out of the military and an instant connection flicked on with the Polar Bear.

Brady lifted an open palm in the air, leaning his elbow against his desk as he leaned forward and shrugged curiously. "Just out of curiosity; how were you injured? Now if it's too personal of a question, feel free to pass because I know how some mammals are about talking about their experience in the military."

North had seen this question coming from a mile away. He sighed and slowly shuffled his butt around to a more comfortable position in his chair. "Well. . ." He paused for a moment, inspecting Brady for a few seconds before he shrugged and began to snicker quietly. "I was shot in the," North pointed a finger down below his hips, hesitating for a moment as he formulated the next correct word, "butt. . . While climbing into a Humvee."

He grinned as he thought of the humorous way his injury could be taken and was happy to see Brady smile and begin to chuckle. The larger mammal sat back in his chair, a smile on his muzzle as he nodded slowly. "Well, I'm glad it wasn't anywhere else!"

Brady held his smile as he looked back down at his paperwork and began to pile up the papers neatly into one stack, sliding them back into the folder and into the drawer beneath the desk. "Anyways, I'm sure you're wondering about our shifts, who you'd be security for, where you'll be stationed at, etcetera etcetera." He waved his paw in the air to finish his sentence and returned his gaze back across his desk to North.

North nodded once more. "Mhm! That's what I'm lookin' to find out." He watched as Brady grabbed a thin white packet from the drawer and slid it across the table towards him. North shuffled to the front of his seat and grabbed the paper and noticed that it was a calendar schedule. Certain days held certain events, while some were highlighted yellow to stand out.

"That front page is a schedule for Mayor Black and a few of his separate executive staff members. With all of the violence and protests occurring right out of city hall, the ZPA has been hired to provide security for those executive staff going out in public for large meetings or speeches. And, as of a few days ago, we are beginning to post security around City Hall on the daily. More details on that will be explained when we've given you some training can tell you exactly where you'll be put to guard."

North inspected the schedule as Brady explained it, his eyes constantly attracted to the highlighted events. After a few moments of scanning, he realized the highlighted events were for larger public meetings.

"Those events you see highlighted on the schedule are ones that will require a larger force of guards. Most of those events are either public speeches with multiple office holders or are in high protest areas." Brady had pulled out his own schedule, inspecting it for a few moments before pulling out another white sheet of paper. "Training days are also on that schedule." He slid the new piece of paper across the desk for North to grab before leaning back in his seat.

"This is the information you'll need to get into our ZPA Station only five blocks west from here, you can't miss it. Once you've gotten inside and we've completed our recruit training, you'll be given your ID which will allow you easy access into the building whenever you'd like."

North nodded slowly in understanding as he studied the paper. It held the station's address, a code for the doors, and a map of the building. He raised his brows, impressed. The map showed that the building held an indoor firing range and training course. An armory was beside the locker rooms and a plethora of offices cluttered the building. Overall, the station seemed very large and he began to wonder why he hadn't noticed it before.

"Most likely, with your background, you'll be placed as security for Mayor Black. He seems to be the largest target for protests and violence when he goes out to speak or visit public places." Brady tapped his fingers on the wooden frame of his desk, sitting patiently as North finished inspecting the papers he had been given. "Though we will be able to switch who provides security for who. It honestly comes down to the days you're assigned to work."

North continued to nod, his tail beginning to flick in growing interest and anticipation as Brady described the job in more detail. He was one-hundred percent 'down' for providing security for the Mayor, especially if it means possibly getting back at the protestors that had stuck him in the hospital and ruined his previous job. "That sounds good to me. I currently have all the time in the world to work, so schedule me where you need me."

Brady smiled and nodded in return, shoving more papers back into his drawer and organizing them quickly. "Fantastic! We'll be sure to give you all of the hours that you ask for. The first training 'slash' meeting day is on this upcoming Monday. Will you be able to make it? We should be able to give you everything you need then."

North paused for a moment, pulling out his nearly empty schedule from out of his head before he quickly remembered that the class reunion was next Saturday, which was still a full week away. "That should work! I don't have plans for most of this week."

"Great!" Brady smiled and stood up from his chair, his large paw sticking out with his arm to suggest a paw-shake and the end of the interview. "Do you have any more questions?"

North shook his head and returned the Polar Bear's contagious smile. "Nope. If I do come up with any, I'm sure they'll be answered at that meeting." He stuck out his smaller paw to accept the paw-shake.

"Alright, well it was good meeting you, North." Brady firmly shook North's paw before standing up straight with his toothy smile and delighted expression. "Glad to have you on the team."

"Likewise, Brady! And, glad to be on the team." North pulled his paw back and rolled his papers neatly together into a long cylindrical shape. He turned to leave the office, nodding his head in farewell. "Have a good one."

Brady nodded back in return while he sat back down in his chair and gave his new guard a polite wave. "You too!"

North exited the office, opening and closing the door quietly as to not disturb the workflow in any of the surrounding offices. Though, he couldn't help but release a satisfied fist pump and a silent, "Yes!", into the air. He held a cheerful grin on his muzzle as he strutted down the hallway of offices and towards the elevator on the far interior wall.

 _Damn straight! I forgot how great it feels to get a job._

 ** _. . ._**

 **Early Monday Morning**

"Clear!" The call echoed throughout the suddenly quiet house after the ear-piercing cracks of gunfire had filled it only moments earlier.

North heard David's call out from the dusty room behind him. The sun was just rising and the sharp morning air molded together with the land's natural heat, making him begin to sweat even more as his adrenaline slithered through his veins. His tail hung tightly behind him, hovering over the dirt covered wooden floors as he crept closer to the narrowly open door in front of him.

His paw-steps made each floorboard creak on the second level of the house as he neared his target entry position to the room. His weapon held forward and his eyes trained along the top to keep a steady aim. He took a deep breath before he reached the door, slamming it open and swinging his newly given M16A4 around to the left side of the seemingly desolate room.

There was a cheap couch leaning against a wall with a small window above it that allowed small rays of hazy light to filter into the musty room. A rug was laid out across the floor and another cushioned chair was pressed against the same corner of the area.

After seeing no movement and no hostile mammals on the left side of the room, he quickly rotated his body and weapon to the right side of the room.

North felt relief flood through his body as he saw no signs of activity on the opposite side. A wooden table and a tiny wooden chair occupied that territory, but no one visible was around. His ears twitched and his tail stiffened as he noticed a 'closet' of some sorts along the right side wall where there were no windows. Instead of a door leading into the closet, it was a heavy red rug connected with nails to the door frame above.

North paused for a moment, listening for any unusual sounds before proceeding to shuffle towards the closet. His heart began to pound against his chest, threatening to break through his body armor the closer he got to the closet entrance. His ears perked as he heard the beginning of what sounded like a growl from within the closet and he quickly tightened his grip on his weapon and kept it aimed at where he believed a hostile would emerge from behind the rug.

Suddenly, the rug-door was swept aside and a skinny coyote pounced out from inside the closet, his teeth bared and his eyes burning with an angry and vengeful blood lust as he lifted a dirty AK47 up to his hips. North felt his adrenaline spike as loud screech-like growl emitted from the mammal's throat as he charged at North who flicked the barrel of his M16A4 instinctively towards the desert tan coyote.

In the next split second, North didn't have time to think. His training kicked in and his panic enveloped his body. His finger slammed down on the trigger twice, double tap, sending two bullets blasting out from his weapon with a loud crack-crack! The growl came to a sudden halt and he watched in shocked horror as the coyote's head exploded against the wall behind him, the closet's rug-door catching chunks of the smaller mammal's skull as they spread across the small room.

A gross, slobbery, splattering sound echoed with the sound of gun fire in the space as the now headless body of the hostile coyote crumbled to the floor. Blood began to pool out of the base of the corpses neck and crimson stained the wall behind where the mammal had been charging forward. The muscle had been torn and remained wrangled along the dripping spine while the rest of the head was scattered throughout the room. A pinkish red mist hung around the body as dust collected bits of blood from the body and drifted along the room.

North stood in utter shock and disbelief at what he had just witnessed and achieved. He could feel blood, the enemy's blood, dripping down his face and the top of his uniform. His weapon was still aimed upwards at where the coyote had been before his bullets had torn off its head.

He heard quickened footsteps pounded outside of his room as David quickly jumped into action at the sound of gunfire. His own M16A4 at the ready as he bounced into the room. North didn't move as his eyes were locked on the headless, blood drenched corpse of his victim lay in front of him. His ears perked as he heard David step up behind him, a small whistle emitting from the Timber Wolf's lips as he noticed the ruined body below him.

"Damn, North. You blew his fuckin' head off!"

North only nodded, wishing and praying that the image of the coyote's skull exploding would disappear and be gone forever. He lowered his weapon, flicking on the safety as he managed for force himself to look away from his _first kill_.

 _I killed him. . ._

"Hey, North. It was either you or him. I know that's in basically every action movie ever, but it's true."

 _I'm glad it was him. . ._ "I know."

"Just. . . Damn dude. I'd quit staring at it if I were you. That shit'll give you nightmares."

North's eyes fluttered open to stare at the familiar white ceiling of his apartment. His vision still blurry from morning dreariness. He shuddered as the images of the nightmare he had just experienced clung to the front of his brain. He wasn't as sweaty as usual, which he noticed first as he clothes didn't feel damp or uncomfortably moist.

His head tilted to stare at his alarm clock. He winced as he did his best to focus on the red numbers across from him, raising a brow in quiet satisfaction and distaste as he noticed the time.

 _6:45 A.M.! I woke up five minutes early. . . Fuck it, I'm getting up._

After pushing his horrifying memory aside as best he could, he propped himself up and out of bed, sliding off of the mattress with a long yawn.

"What a great way to start off a day of shooting guns and training. . ." North groaned sarcastically as he stumbled towards his dresser, talking to himself as to almost keep his sanity.

"Be optimistic. Today will be great. . ."

North sighed quietly.

"Hopefully."

* * *

 _That is Chapter 11! Hopefully, this is the LAST of the boring stuff that I have to type! The rest will be exciting security guard stuff and his class reunion will also be a fun experience that will be coming up shortly! Thanks again and I appreciate any ideas for my story! Sorry if this chapter was kind of short. I wanted to save bits of North's training for the NEXT chapter, though I won't bore you with the whole endeavor as I want to get straight into the excitement of his job._

 _Thanks to those who have given me OCs (Mentioned in the last chapter)!_

 _Have a great day!_


	12. The ZPA

**Chapter 12**

 **The ZPA**

 _You have to understand that PTSD has to be an event that you experience, a very traumatic event. And actually, there is evidence that brain chemistry changes during this event in certain individuals where it's imprinted indelibly forever and there's an emotion associated with this which triggers the condition._

 **\- Dale Arche**

* * *

"Most of the time, your job will be maintaining a professional look while conducting stationary surveillance of what's around you."

The commanding voice of the Grey Wolf cut through the silence of the ZPA recruits from where he stood on a small wooden stage. His piercing blue eyes inspecting each of the ten mammals below him as they sat obediently on miniature, bolted down theatre-like blue chairs. He wore a navy blue T-shirt, that tucked into his black cargo pants, with a bold white "ZPA" printed on his chest and a rank of "Chief" printed on the back of his shoulders. A pinned silver nametag hung beside his heart with the name, "Andrew Wolfton" embedded on the front.

"Keep your head on a swivel, keep your posture straight, and communicate with your other guards on shift. Radio checks should be frequent."

Chief Wolfton paced back and forth along the stage, his paws placed behind his back as he stood straight and strong. North could tell, just by his posture, that he was a mammal of leadership and military professionalism.

North sat with his arms crossed and his feet planted on the slightly angled floor below him. His eyes were locked on the Chief of security as he migrated around the stage, keeping his ears perked and soaking in as much information as his brain would allow.

"Your weapon is mainly used for intimidation. You should never, _NEVER,_ remove the safety unless you are dealing with an armed individual or group of individuals. In the case of large riots, which you can expect to encounter, we want all of you to restrain from pointing your weapon at any civilian unless it's absolutely necessary."

Wolfton stopped in the center of the stage, keeping his posture as he turned to face the mammals in front of him. "Now! The definition of 'necessary' can vary depending on the situation. Most of the time, it involves a civilian becoming violent or is suddenly armed with any kind of weapon. But it could also be a group of angry protesters refusing to leave the space demanded by your executive officer, or yourself."

He began to pace once again, his tail swaying gently behind him.

"Or, it could be about separating violent groups of protesters. With any of those possibilities, I want to stress the concept of keeping your weapon on safety! You don't want to be responsible for the death of a protester just because of an itchy finger."

North remained silent with the rest of the recruits, showing his respect for the Chief just by listening intently. His eyes traveled over the mammals around him, all wearing the same outfit he was. Grey T-shirts with black "ZPA" printed on the front and black "Recruit" printed on the back. He had on black cargo shorts with enough pockets to hold the supplies that he needed, like papers and pencils. The majority of the mammals around him were larger than himself, mostly Timber Wolves, larger cats like panthers and cheetahs, and a singular black stripped Tiger. There was a lynx in the mix and, surprisingly, one bunny. North was the only Fox.

The majority of the mammals around him were larger than himself, mostly Timber Wolves, larger cats like panthers and cheetahs, and a singular black stripped Tiger. There was a lynx in the mix and, surprisingly, one bunny. North was the only Fox.

The wide windows that stretched along the room's right-side wall let in the natural mid-afternoon light and gave the room a warm feel as the fans on the white ceiling worked to push out body heat. The dark blue walls kept the room at a moderate lighting and kept focus directed towards the stage.

"Now, as you've already been told earlier today, we use the G-17 Nine Millimeter Glock handgun and a standard issue M4 Carbine. We are funded and given permission to use these weapons by the city government. We've been given the. . . Opportunity, to become an armed security force due to the violence that has recently become an epidemic inside of Zootopia. Even though we are allowed to carry these weapons, we must do our best to refrain from using them."

Everything the Chief said echoed and stuck into North's brain and he nodded slowly, with the rest of the group, to show that he understood the information the Chief was relaying.

"We usually will have three armed security guards connected to one executive officer, unless there is a large meeting or backup is called upon at an event. Rotations around stations will be given depending on the length of the event and the location. We'll be able to easier explain this concept on your first shift. A senior guard will be stationed with you to help you through your first day."

 _Oh, that's nice._ North thought to himself.

The convenience and relief of the thought of support on the first day of the job comforted North's doubts about the whole ordeal. He didn't want to fuck anything up and make himself, and the ZPA, look unprofessional or bad.

"Now, moving onto radio communication." Wolfton moved to the back of the stage to grab a small vest. A cubed radio was placed on the left shoulder of the black security vest as the wolf slipped it over his shoulders. "It's pretty simple. I assume, based on what I've read, you all have some sort of military experience so you should be somewhat familiar with how to work a radio. We will use the phonetic alphabet, it's just a way for faster communication. A list of terms is given to you on the recruitment packet, it would be helpful to know those."

North glanced down to his feet where he had set his well-preserved packet. He quickly bent down to grab it and flipped the pages until he found a page labeled, "Radio Communication."

He heard the Chief begin to speak once again.

"When using the radio, first start with who you want the message to go to, then follow that by announcing the name your fellow Guards know you most by." Wolfton tilted his head down to the radio.

"For example," He pressed a small button on the side of the radio. "ZPA HQ, this is Chief Wolfton reporting in from Event A, over." The radio clicked, signaling the end of the transmission.

"Keep your sentences quick and clear. Be straight to the point. Do not ramble on the radio. If you need to get an emergency message across without interruption, use, 'Break Break' before you say anything to signal a priority message."

North listened while he inspected the chart of the phonetic alphabet. Below the alphabet was a list of common terms to be memorized.

Ones like:

"Lima Charlie," or "Reading you Five by Five," for "Loud and Clear."

"Oscar Mike" for "On the Move."

"Ten-Four" for "Okay."

"Affirmative" for "Yes."

"Negative" for "No."

"Wilco" for "Will Comply."

"Charlie Charlie" for "Call for everyone to hear."

"Break Break" for a priority message.

North studied these, nodding slowly as the memory of these terms from his military background came flooding back to him. He grinned to himself at how much he actually remembered.

The Chief's words slithered back into North's head and he returned his visual attention to the wolf. "When ending a transmission, end with 'Over' if you want a reply. End with 'Out' if you do not expect a reply. Or end with 'Over and Out' if you do not expect a reply, but one can be given."

Wolfton placed his paws behind his back. "You all got that?"

A collective jumble of "Yes, sir" and "Yes" came from the recruits and Chief Wolfton nodded in satisfaction.

"Good! I think that concludes the training. . . Congratulations! Now to move onto uniforms and executive assignments."

Wolfton's gaze flickered to his right, and the eyes of the recruits followed suit as they looked over to the length of two white tables on the left-side wall. Each table held five packages with stickered labels on the tops. North rubbed his paws together. He was both excited to receive his uniform and to be finished with the long day.

"Find your name on one of those packages and go to the lockerrooms to test the how the uniforms fit. You are all free to do so now." The Chief began to leave the stage as the recruits stood up, a few excitedly mumbling to the mammals beside them.

North was near the front of the row and he shuffled quickly behind the tan-furred Timber Wolf in front of him. He found his package easily and grabbed it off of the table. A small sign hung over a pair of double-doors that had grey arrows displaying the direction of different locations. The locker room was to the left and North exited the doors and migrated down the hallway, a few other mammals following close behind.

He stopped at the large wooden door with the words "Male Locker Room" over the top frame. He reached up and pulled on the curved metal handle and swung the door open, letting it swing past himself and the other recruits behind.

He cradled the package in his arms as he walked into the locker room, his ears perking at how clean the space actually was. He was expecting the room to have a. . . Stronger smell to it. Instead, the room had a pool flooring, unstained navy blue walls, crisp grey lockers the lined the walls and made eight even rows, and contained a back room for well-kept showers and toilets.

North took the first locker he found open. Other lockers had already been taken by guards already hired into the ZPA.

He grinned as he set his package down on a long wooden bench that occupied the middle of the aisle, opening it carefully as the other recruits filed in behind him.

He whistled, impressed, as he pulled out a plastic-wrapped uniform. He set down the top, the pants, the vest, and the hat in a row along his space on the bench. He began to pull the plastic off of the shirt, smiling like a pup on Christmas as he unfolded and lifted up a crisp black, long sleeve uniform top.

The top had a sleek navy blue collar on both of the wrists of the sleeves and around the neck with only two blue buttons on the chest. The back held the signature text,"SECURITY", boldly on the back of the uniform on top of a navy blue patch along the shoulder blades.

He removed his semi-sweaty Recruit T-shirt and placed it on the floor by his ankles before sliding on the surprisingly comfortable uniform top. He grinned as he looked down at himself, using his paws to brush out any invisible wrinkles from his new article of clothing.

Once he was satisfied with the top, he looked down at the pants. After removing the plastic, he could see they were almost the same pair the Chief had been wearing earlier. They were black cargo pants with navy blue belt loops and pocket covers. A stiff leathery black belt accompanied the pants as well. He quickly hopped in the uniform bottoms after removing his shorts and tightened the belt through the loops and around his waist, again surprised by how comfortable the clothing was.

North then fit the hat between his ears, which said "SECURITY" on the front, before unwrapping the vest from its plastic covering. He inspected it carefully, raising a brow at how light it felt.

 _I'm sure it'll be much heavier once we put equipment into it._ He thought as he slipped his arms through the wide armholes.

The vest was much like an extension of the cargo pants but onto his upper body. It was black with navy blue pockets that rimmed the vest around the hips and were sealed with velcro. The same bold word, "SECURITY" was stitched firmly onto the upper back and a black zipper ran up the middle of North's chest. A larger pocket was visible on the left shoulder, obviously for the radio, and a holster was clipped like a second belt around the waist of the vest, fitting it tightly around North's hips.

After fitting on the entirety of the uniform, North excitedly began to search for a mirror. He inspected other Recruits as he passed, raising a brow at how impressive the uniforms looked on all of the other mammals and assumed he looked just as professional. He reached the back of the locker room, near the bathrooms, and noticed a wall of tall mirrors rising from the ground and nearly up to the ceiling.

It was obviously made for the convenience of every sized of mammal and North strode towards his reflection. He was surprised at how much his orange fur stood out from the dark colors of the uniform, but he shrugged at how good the colors looked on his body.

The uniform hugged his body, coating him in a crisp black and a professional navy blue suit that made North utter a small, "Damn, impressive." The uniform fit perfectly. He began to turn in small angles, wanting to inspect every part of his body and to see every inch of the uniform as he admired its sleek design.

"Damn!" A younger voice called out behind him.

North turned and raised a brow as a bunny dressed in the same uniform made his way towards the mirrors. The smaller mammal had his paws on his hips and he was inspecting himself in the mirror just as North had a few seconds prior. The buck rotated his body and flicked his ears in awe as he took in the beauty of the uniform, flashing a grin at North beside him.

North returned the grin with a smile, glancing at the rabbit's reflection in the mirror as if he were looking at the real body of the mammal beside him. "Pretty cool, huh?"

The Bunny beside him nodded quickly in reply, his eyes brightening happily. "Hell yeah! These uniforms look great!"

North looked back at his own reflection, rotating his hips and torso to get a better look at the side of his uniform once more. "Right! And they're so damn comfortable!"

The Buck turned to face North, his arms up in the air at shoulder level and his eyes widening in almost child-like agreement. "I know, right? They're so nice!" The bunny lowered his right paw, sticking out to North in a paw-shake gesture as he inspected him up and down with a smile. "I'm Will, by the way."

North cheerily accepted the paw shake, gripping the smaller paw firmly with a nod. "North." He pulled his paw back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Nice to meet you, Will."

Will placed his paws on his hips, nodding back at him.. "Likewise!"

Both mammals turned back to stare at their reflections with grins on their faces. A few other recruits began to filter in behind North and Will, all having nearly the same reaction as they had had. North's tail flicked in satisfaction as he noticed how sleek he and all of the recruits looked with their uniforms, especially when they all stood together as one unit.

After another minute of inspecting his uniform, North produced a clean heel-turn and began to shuffle through the wall of talkative larger mammals behind him. "We head back to the Meeting Center, right?" He called over his shoulder, tilting his head back to see if anyone had heard him.

"I think so? Yeah." Will had followed him out of the crowd and was pushing past the legs of a tall White Timber Wolf. "Do we have to take these off?"

North turned his attention back to what was in front of him, striding back to his locker with a shrug back to the bunny. "I have no clue! I'm thinking we take them off."

"Shucks.."

North chuckled at Will's response, slowly growing a liking to the bunny. "Shucking is for corn." He began to gently remove his uniform, bit by bit while Will passed him to walk towards his own locker, waving a paw dismissively towards North and his 'corny' and punny reply.

Once he had finished replacing his uniform with his clothes he had worn before, he neatly slipped the items back into the package and made sure he wasn't going to forget anything by checking the floor around the bench. He grabbed his package and shuffled passed a Lynx who was just returning from the mirrors.

He noticed that Will had just finished up changing as well, and he waved casually as he passed. "Adios!"

After ten minutes, all of the mammals had migrated back into the Meeting Center with their packages. Schedules were placed on the seats of the first row with the newly formed guards first and last names printed on the top right corner of the first page. North found his schedule on the fourth chair in the row, picking up the packet curiously and inspected it quietly as the Chief stepped back on stage.

"Alright! You should all find a schedule with your name on it. The name of the executive officer you will be placed with is labeled on the top of the first page. Your team members are listed below along with their rank, gender, and species; you'll be able to meet them on your first real day on the job."

North nodded slowly as he both listened to the Chief and studied his packet, his tail swaying in satisfaction.

 _Mayor Black? Straight to the big guy._

North's eyes traveled further down the page and a familiar name caught his eye.

 _William Burrows - Rabbit, Male. That makes things easy, I already know one of my team members._

North lifted his gaze up to flash a glance at Will who was standing two chairs to his left just as the buck raised his own gaze up to North with a smile. North smirked and pointed at Will before flashing a thumbs up, which the bunny happily returned.

"Now, the calendars on the next pages list every event for every Executive Officer that we are being paid to supply security for. The days that are highlighted in yellow are the days you are scheduled to work. Each event has a time period that is also highlighted that will tell you the hours you are working. Security will arrive one hour before the actual event." Wolfton paced gently back and forth along the guards from his place on stage, watching them quietly as he continued to explain their schedules.

North noticed that Mayor Black had multiple events this upcoming week, the most recent being two days from today. He was perfectly fine with getting straight into work as he eagerly wanted a steady flow of money back into his bank account.

The Chief paused in the center of the stage, his eyes scanning over the ten mammals below him. "The rest of the packet is just extra procedures the help you remember what to do in certain situations. You could say that it's almost like a cheat sheet." The wolf's tail flicked in a quick moment of thought and North turned his full attention to him as he set his schedule on top of his uniform package.

"Every team meets up here before they leave as a unit to the scheduled event. You can leave your uniform here in the locker room if you wish to do so." Wolfton tapped his foot quietly on the wooden stage before he shrugged. "That should bee everything! You are all free to go. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me or any of the other guards around HQ."

The Chief pulled off a clean heel turn before walking down the steps on the left-hand side of the stage. North looked back down at his papers, but a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision stole his attention. He lifted his gaze from his papers to see Will with a wide grin on his face with his own papers in paw. His ears were perked high into the air and the buck's cheerful attitude was easily contagious as a smile quickly grew onto North's muzzle.

"So! You got assigned to mayor black too, hm?" Will lifted his papers into the air and showcased the front page to North, the bold title of "Mayor Black" was stook out clearly on the top of the page.

"Sure did." North tilted his papers down to the bunny's eye level, allowing him to see the papers for himself. "Got put with the big guy himself. That's probably a good thing, ya think?"

Will shrugged and also nodded at the same time, his nose twitching slightly. "Well, I'd think so. It probably shows that the ZPA trusts your abilities enough to provide security for him, so that's good."

North nodded slowly in response to Will's answer and looked back down at his papers. "Looks like our first day is this Wednesday. Wouldn't that funny if that's the day that all of this shit finally hits the fan?"

The rabbit chuckled before looking back at his own papers, flipping through the pages to find the calendar. "It'd be a good story for the bar and the family. Though it would probably suck ass."

"No kidding."

"Mhm."

North continued to chat with Will as the two of them hauled their uniforms back to the locker room. North found out that Will was born in a place called "Bunny Burrow" but had moved to Zootopia shortly after. He also scooped out the information that the bunny had also been apart of the Armed Forces. Will had been apart of 1st Infantry Division in the ARMY (Much like North had been apart of the 1st Marine Division).

Will asked North a few questions in return as the two mammals stuffed their folded uniforms into separate lockers. Questions like, "What branch of the military were you in?" and "So, you were born and raised in Zootopia?" North answered all of Will's questions as honestly as the Buck had done for him.

The two were stepping out of the well-kept locker room when North began to feel an irritating buzz in his right pocket. He stopped in his tracks and quickly stuffed his paw into his pocket to grab his phone while giving Will an apologetic glance. "Pfft-Shit. Somebody's calling me, gimme a second."

Will smiled and nodded in understanding slowly walking ahead of North as he lifted the phone up to his ear and pressed the green answer button on the phone screen; he didn't bother to check who the caller was with caller ID.

"Yello?" He answered the phone curiously.

There wasn't an immediate reply. The only sound he could hear was the sound of quiet sniffles through the crummy audio quality of most phone calls.

He tried again. "Hello?"

"H-Hey North... " There was another sniffle before the caller finished her sentence. "It's Hazel."

"Hazel? Are you okay, you don't sound too good." North glanced up at Will who raised a brow in return.

"God... Okay. Look, Shit. Ugh.." He heard Hazel sniffle again and thought he heard something like a small sob. "I don't know why I'm so upset.."

North flicked his tail in curiosity and growing concern. "Upset about what?"

He heard what was clearly a sob and a quick intake of breath across the phone. "I-I... I broke up with Jack. Or he broke up with me, or... I don't know!" She began to speed up her words. "This is so confusing and ickyandIdidn'tknow who to call soIcalled you and I feel hurt and I-"

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Hazel, slow down. I can't understand you when you talk that fast." North interrupted Hazel's spew of words and sobs before it got out of control. "So, Jack broke up with you? Do you need anything, are you in trouble or something?"

The reply he got was another sob and a sniffle, but no words came across the phone speaker.

"Hazel?"

"Hm? Oh! I'm sorry, I'm just..." She broke off into a small cough. "I didn't know who to call and you were the most recent contact on my phone."

North nodded slowly, though quickly remembered she couldn't see his action. "Ohh, okay. Well, do you need anything? Do you want me to come over?" He began to walk back up to Will who had his ears quizzically poised to their tallest length. North didn't doubt that the bunny could probably hear everything Hazel was saying through the phone with how amazing the mammal's hearing seemed to be.

"M-Maybe some food? I don't feel like cooking..." North almost chuckled at Hazel's response, though knew better than to let it out during this situation.

"Alrighty! I'll stop by somewhere and get you some fish and then I'll be over to your place soon after. Does that sound good?" He knew Hazel's favorite meat (And seemingly the most common meat) was fish, it didn't really matter the kind. He had discovered this after a few very long days at work.

"That would be amazing! Thank you so much, North... When I called you I first thought you were gonna just ignore me and stuff." She finished her sentence with a cough, obviously doing her best to hide her emotional breakdown.

"What? I would never do that! Unless you were being a total asshole." North grinned as he heard Hazel chuckle across the phone, glad to know he had lifted her spirits for at least a few seconds. "Alright. I'll see you in twenty minutes-ish? You think you can survive for that long?" He and Will were now almost out of the ZPA Headquarters, both pushing out of the front doors into the populated sidewalk in front of the large building.

"Yeah... Y-Yeah I can." Hazel's voice shook only slightly.

"Cool beans. Maybe try and rest? Sleep might help."

"Okay. Thank you, North..."

"Anytime, Hazel!"

"See you soon?"

"Yup, see ya soon. Buh bye."

"Bye."

North lowered his phone from his ear and gently tapped the red hang up button on his screen, watching as Hazel's caller ID picture faded away into black. He raised his gaze back up to Will who was patiently standing beside him.

"Who was that?" Will crossed his arms and tilted his head curiously as North turned to face him.

"Just a friend who's having relationship issues. I guess I'm gonna become an unlicensed relationship counselor tonight." North grinned as he stuck out his paw to give Will on more pawshake. "I gotta scoot. She's sliding downhill, I can tell."

Will uncrossed his arms and accepted the pawshake with a smile. "Oh! Well, have fun with that dude. I'll see you in a few days."

North nodded as he pulled his paws back to his sides. "Yup! I'll see ya on Wednesday. Adios, pal."

Will nodded in return as they both began to turn in opposite directions to get to their vehicles. "Bye-ya."

North quickened his usual walking pace to reach his car faster, unlocking the doors and sliding into the driver's seat in one fluid motion. His tail tucked in beside his legs as he slammed the door shut beside him and started the car at the same time, his ears perking at the sound of the engine sparking to life along with the radio. Yet again, another Gazelle song was playing and, almost comically, the topic was about a broken relationship.

 _Note to self: Don't turn on the radio at Hazel's house._

He made a quick mental checklist of what he was supposed to do before he slid the car out of park and into reverse to pull out of his confined parking space.

"Alright, and away we go."

* * *

 _Finally finished with Chapter 12! Sorry it took so long to publish! I hit a huge wall of writer's block (I went and restarted the entire chapter twice) and took a small break from writing. I'll do my best to type up these chapters a little faster than I've been typing them recently. Again, if you have any cool ideas, characters, or plotlines you would like to see in the story, feel free to message me or put it in a review._

 _Thank you for being patient! Have a great day!_


	13. Tissues

**Chapter 13**

 **Tissues**

"There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other fellow to make the make the first move - and he, in turn, waits for you."

 **\- Marian Anderson**

* * *

North awkwardly on a brown leather-like couch with a pre-heated fish and noodle bowl as Hazel did her best to fix her broken appearance in the bathroom. She lived in a small house of her own; one bedroom, one bathroom, a large living area connected to an open kitchen. The design was unsurprisingly simple and gave the house a very cozy and comfortable feel. The walls were painted a tan color that matched with the smooth laminate flooring of the kitchen.

He tapped his foot on the soft brown carpet below him as he sunk deeper into the soft cushions of the couch. He could hear Hazel's muffled sniffles and the occasional blow of her nose into a tissue. He hadn't had the chance to see her yet. As soon as he had knocked on the door, she had yelled from the bathroom, he could tell because of the echo in her voice, for him to come in and wait for her in the living room.

He cleared his throat and checked the time on his phone.

5:38.

It had been almost five minutes since he had sat down and Hazel was still in the bathroom. Suddenly, the sound of a doorknob clicking open grabbed his attention. His ears perked and his tail twitched as he waited for Hazel to turn the corner out of the bathroom, expecting a mess of fur and tear stains.

Instead, she emerged from the bathroom in a clean white tank-top and comfortable grey sweatpants with completely groomed and silky white fur. Her paws were in her pockets and her face was brushed clean of tears as she shuffled into the living room. Her pinned ears and red-tinted eyes were the only clues to her mental breakdown.

She sniffled. "Shit, I'm sorry North. I almost forgot you were here!" She began to migrate to the couch as North stood up, presenting his gift of food to her.

"Aw, don't worry about it. Your couch is unbelievably comfortable; a great place to wait." As he opened the lid to the white bowl in his paws, he noticed Hazel's expression immediately light up as if she hadn't seen food in ages. "I hope you like foreign food!"

"Yes! Thank you!" Hazel gratefully reached for the bowl, taking it with a growing smile. She plopped down on the couch beside North's spot and greedily dug into her meal, as if she could find solace in the bowl, before she had touched the cushions.

North quickly sat down beside her, resting his arm on the arm-rest to his right. He waited patiently for her to pause from her messy eating before crossing his paws and tilting forward in his seat. "So... How'ya feelin'?"

Hazel slurped up a few more seasoned noodles before sitting up straight and focusing on North, her ears pinning back against her head in a moment of thought. "Well... This food has helped more than you probably think it did. But before, I was just," she paused for a few seconds, her eyes squinting both in thought and in an attempt to prevent obvious tears. "Just depressed. The usual breakup dealio... Ya know?" She sniffled before taking in a few more bites of her meal.

North nodded understandingly. "Mhm. Breakups always suck." He raised a brow at Hazel, tapping his fingers on his legs quietly. "I'm guessing he broke up with you?"

Surprisingly, Hazel set down her food, placing it on a nearby coffee table. She sighed and tilted her body so she completely faced North, her eyes staring down at the cushions as she shrugged. She replied to his question with uncertainty, "I think... I broke up with him?"

North's ears perked at her statement, flicking his tail quizzically. "You _think_ you did?"

Hazel groaned and pushed herself against the backrest, sinking into the plush cushions and threw her arms into the air. "I don't know! I mean, he was the one who called me." She shook her head, her emotions visibly returning as she began to pout. "But I was the one who told him things weren't working out, and then he was the one who said we should be friends, and then we starting arguing over..."

She paused her breathtaking rant, taking a few gasps of air before crossing her arms over her chest and continuing. "I don't even know what we argued over! He just got really pissed, and then I got pissed, and then we both hung up!"

North sat quietly in his spot, trying to follow what she was yelling out as best he could. He noticed her gaze flicker to the floor beside her kitchen counter and he followed it. He saw her phone on the floor beside the counter with a splintered spiderweb of glass over her previously crisp black screen.

In all honesty, North wasn't sure how to respond. Hazel was beginning to tear up and he felt she would find him rude if he didn't say anything.

So, he sighed and quietly stood up from the couch to retrieve her phone, cautiously picking it up off the wood floors and bringing it back to his spot. "I'm guessing the argument was pretty heated then?"

Hazel only nodded, glaring distastefully at her destroyed device as she pulled her knees up to her muzzle.

North inspected the phone in his paws, careful not to cut his pads as he ran then across the screen. "I hear ranting is a good and therapeutic way to relieve stress," he lifted a sympathetic gaze and held out Hazel's phone, waiting for her to claim it, "so, um, why'd _you_ break up with him?"

Hazel hesitated before slowly taking her phone and placing it on the coffee table beside her food. She let go of her knees and rubbed an arm over her eyes to wipe away a thin stream of tears. She sniffled quietly, sitting still for a few moments as she gathered the courage to explain her situation.

"I mean, that's why you called right? To have somebody to talk to?" North shifted his weight in his spot, feeling increasingly awkward as he stared at Hazel's depressed form.

 _I've never been good at this stuff..._

Hazel nodded slowly, clapping her paws on her thighs and lifting her head to meet his gaze. She shrugged once again, "I guess I felt as if he, uh," her voice lulled away before stuttering back to life, "As if-f he didn't really want to be in the relationship. He never showed up to our dates; never left his band."

She sniffled again. "After this phone call, it's obvious I was right. I feel so stupid!"

North shook his head, shuffling instinctively closer to her in an attempt to comfort her. "Aw, Hazel, you're not stupid! Don't ever devalue yourself."

"But he wasn't even trying in the first place! I actually _did_ try! It feels like I wasted a giant amount of time for someone who was taking it as a joke for his band." Hazel growled and stuffed her face into her paws, rubbing them over her eyes in annoyance.

 _So that's what happened..._ North thought to himself as he made sure to wait for Hazel to finish.

"Well, at least you learned a valuable lesson." North waited for her attention, matching her gaze with a comforting smile.

She raised an inquiring brow, confusion wrinkled in her expression. "What lesson?"

North chuckled. "Don't date somebody who's in a band." He paused, raising a brow to match her's, "because they'd rather fuck each other than their dates."

Hazel's ears perked at North's joke, but a small smile crept onto her face as she let out a tiny snort of laughter. "God, North! That's mean!"

He only shrugged, holding a smug grin on his muzzle. "Well, maybe they'd fuck their guitar's. Dating each other would get weird."

Hazel cringed, slapping her paws over her muzzle and closing her eyes in an attempt to muffle her easily pressured laughter. "No! Stop! That's so gross! You're putting images in my head!"

"Ha! Are they good images?"

"No!"

North laughed, leaning into the armrest and watching Hazel as she tried to control herself. "Did you at least like the joke?"

Hazel nodded, running her paws down her cheeks and down her muzzle as she as finally able to stifle her laughter.

"Well, that's a plus." He nodded his head towards the bowl of food on the coffee table. "You gonna finish your food?"

Hazel's eyes quickly locked back onto her fish and noodles.

"Cuz if you can't finish it, I will." North began to reach for the bowl, a smirk stuck on his face, but was intercepted by Hazel as she snatched the food away and pushed him back away from the meal protectively, a corny smile on her face as she laughed.

"No! I'm eating it! Damn!" She began to chow down on her dinner again, matching North's smile with her own.

"Thanks, North. This really means a lot." She spoke between a gap in her eating, clearly enjoying her food.

"What does? The food or the talk?" He grinned as Hazel was visibly more cheerful than before.

She held her bowl up to her head, giving him a toothy grin beneath her paws. "Both!"

They both chuckled, the atmosphere in the room lightening up as Hazel seemed to be gradually getting over her depressing afternoon.

She sighed as she finished her fish and noodles and placed the bowl back on the table. "I mean it. This helped more than I thought it would." She motioned down towards herself, "I guess it's kind of obvious that I'm not very good with breakups?"

North winced, tilting his head from side to side in a "so-so" manner. "Eeeehh, not really. You seem to be taking it pretty well."

Hazel rolled her eyes, reaching over to punch North in the arm. "Oh, quit lying! I was a total mess."

North shrugged, rubbing a paw over the place she had punched him. "Nah! You haven't seen a mess until you've seen David eating a Buffalo's Burrito!"

Hazel snickered, shaking her head at the image. "Those things are huge! The burritos are bigger than my face, I swear."

"No kidding!" North said as he nodded in agreement and smiled happily. _Mission success! I'm a better counselor that I thought I was._ He inwardly laughed at himself before glancing down at his phone to check the time.

6:25.

North raised a brow in surprise. _It's almost been an hour already?_ He thought as he glanced back up at Hazel who was staring at her paws in thought.

 _Time flies when you're occupied._

A small buzz from the coffee table stole both North and Hazel's attention. Hazel's phone vibrated along the wooden surface, the shattered screen attempting to show a caller-ID picture to signal someone was trying to reach her.

Hazel quickly reached forward and grabbed her phone, squinting as she concentrated on deciphering the caller-ID through the cracked screen. Her ear's suddenly perked up and she swore out loud. "Shit! I forgot I had to work today!"

 _So she did find a job._ He thought quietly as he sat up straight in his spot, shifting his weight out of the sinkhole from his place in the cushions.

Before North could respond, Hazel answered the phone, standing up and immediately beginning to apologize to the caller.

"Hi, Claire! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about my shift today!" She paused for a few moments, and North could hear a faint muffled voice emitting from her phone. It didn't sound too angry.

"I know! Today has just been a whirlwind of crazy."

The muffle, known as Claire, replied quietly.

"Alright, alright. I'll be right over. I'm sorry again!" Hazel lowered her phone from her ear and ended the call.

"Late for work?" North grinned to hide his disappointment. He was looking forward to spending at least a little more time with her.

"Very! I'm sorry North. Thanks for coming over though!" She quickly shuffled over to him, throwing her arms around in him a warm hug. "It meant a lot."

North was surprised by the sudden hug, but he quickly recovered and joyfully returned the gesture - his heart beating a little faster than before. He was shocked at how soft her fur was. "No problemo, chica."

He stood up after she let go of the hug, a warm smile forming on his muzzle. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Hazel returned the smile and North noticed the sadness in her eyes had faded away. "Mhm! Thank you again."

North nodded and began to walk towards the door, throwing a wave over his head. "Anytime, Hazel."

He opened the door, the falling sunlight pouring onto the house floors, and turned to give her another wave from her spot beside the couch. "Buh-bye!"

"Bye North!" She returned the wave and North shut the door on his way out. He sighed as he turned to face the road and migrated towards his car that was parked on the side of the curb.

 _Damn, she's awesome..._ He thought as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his vehicle.

He slipped onto the road and opened the driver's door and plopped into his seat, closing the door as he lifted his feet to the pedals.

 _Well, she's single... I'm single..._ North shook his head at his own thoughts, groaning inwardly as he started the car.

 _No, she just finished with a relationship. She'll probably want to wait while before her next one._

He flicked on the radio and shifted his car out of park and into drive.

 _I'll just let things roll and see where they go..._

* * *

 _That's chapter 13! I'm so sorry for the EXTREMELY LONG wait! I got preoccupied with my new and second story - NEW SOIL. I'm not gonna leave this story to die, don't worry. I'm going to switch between both stories to widen my options to write about. If I get writer's block on one (Or get bored typing for one that day) then I can migrate to the other. I hope you enjoyed this short chapter and I'll do my best to bring you a more exciting and extensive chapter next time!_

 _Thanks, and enjoy your day!_


	14. First Day on The Job

**Chapter 14**

 **First Day on The Job**

 _Sorry for the long delays between chapters. I've been working on a second story to allow myself to write more and to suppress writer's block._

 _Feel free to check it out._

 **\- PuffleMuffin**

* * *

The front of the Zootopia Capital building was crowded with mammals of all size and shape and a constant rumble of hundreds of voices intruded on the singular projected voice of a large Black Bear in a perfectly fitted black suit and red tie. His paws gripped the sides of the wooden podium he stood behind as his eyes scanned over the growing crowd that threatened to bulge onto the clean white steps he stood upon.

His deep voice boomed and demanded attention with every cleverly put together word he spoke into the raised microphone in his speech about rebuilding trust and ensuring his promises to the city being completed.

North admired the Mayor's confidence from a few steps behind and to the left as he stood professionally still with his M4 strapped over his shoulder and his newly given Non-Lethal dart rifle held firmly in his darkened paws. He stood in front of a large white banner with Mayor Black's name printed in Red Letters across the center, a very simple design.

North glanced periodically over to his fellow security officer's as they either patrolled in their stations or stood beside the Mayor like himself, his hat keeping the attacking sun away from his eyes. A total of three security teams had been assigned to today's public speech and the Zootopia Police Department was also blocking off the crowd at the steps. It seemed as if the city was expecting trouble and wanted to be prepared.

North was, at first, surprised to be chosen to stand on stage beside the mayor. He hadn't expected to be chosen for the position, but the more he glanced around, the more he realized the mayor's intentions for doing so.

Will stood opposite of North, to his right, with the same stiff stance and crisp black and navy blue uniform. A brown-furred timberwolf stood on one front corner of the stage while a poofy white Goat stood on the other. A wide variety of mammals on stage wasn't just a coincidence. The mayor had specifically asked for different species of mammals to be on stage to help signify a "unity" between species, predators, and prey. The fact that a bunny was on stage gave his words an extra kick to it's meaning.

Multiple ZPD officers stood along the front of the crowd beside plastic white barriers and yellow police tape, keeping both excited and angry mammals back behind a safe line. The crowd was dotted with different signs and symbols that showed the differentiating opinions of the animals in the city. Some expressed words of unrepeatable hate towards the new mayor while some relayed positive messages and victorious chants. Flashes of bright white light made it difficult to concentrate as news outlets, online media, and random viewers took photos of the speech.

North wouldn't be surprised if he saw himself on the front page of an article in the near future.

The whole scene of the crowd was both astonishing and comforting. If two sides were gathered and one got out of hand, North figured the ZPD, ZPA, and "the other side" would be able to contain and resolve the problem. If anything big happened, he was glad he would be here to witness and be apart of it.

A small beep came from a small clear earpiece given to North to attach to his radio, signaling a transmission.

"Team One, this is Team Leader Orange requesting a radio check, over." An accented voice poked through his right ear before the transmission ended in another beep and a quick moment of static.

When a radio check was called, there was a certain order a guard was to respond in. North number three out of three in the team, so he was supposed to reply last.

Another beep emitted from the radio and a familiar voice began to speak. "This is Will, I read you loud and clear, over."

North waited for the transmission to end before lifting his paw to press the soft rubber button on the side of his own radio.

"This is North, I read you Lima Charlie, over." He released the button on his radio.

There were only three guards inside of a security team including the team leader, who was the newly promoted Dingo, Oliver Orange (Or Olly for short).

The radio came back to life as Olly finished the transmission, "Ten-Four, mates. There's nothing new, so stay put. Out."

North glanced over to Will who returned the glance with a casual nod and a fun-spirited wink.

North grinned at the friendly exchange before returning his attention back to the overwhelming crowd in front of him. He realized that Mayor Black was nearly finished with his half an hour speech and the crowd below him continued to get louder.

"-the past is in the past! The correct response to our recent dilemma within our city's government is to move on and to set boundaries; boundaries that will prevent any more issues from happening again." Mayor Black leaned forward against his podium, keeping eye contact with every mammal below him.

North's radio began to beep and Olly's voice popped back into his earpiece. "Team One this is Olly. The ZPD has reported a large group of angry protesters plowing towards the front of the crowd and we're expecting trouble near the front of the stage. If anything gets out of hand, take the Mayor into the capital building. Over."

North glanced over to Will who glanced back at him in return. North was the first to pick up his radio. "Ten-Four, Olly. Over."

Will replied second, his voice sizzling through the earpiece. "Wilco, Over."

"The other teams have been notified. We'll keep you up to speed on the situation. Out." Olly ended the transmission cycle and North returned his attention back to the crowd.

The protesters were now clearly visible in the middle of the masses as they pushed and shoved their way towards the Police Officers at the front of the crowd. They held vulgar signs and shouted through megaphones angry cries and cheesy chants.

North watched as they made it to the Police Line and began to shout at the officers who in turn stayed quiet and authoritative as they spread their arms to keep the protesters back as if they were unphased by the barrage of cruel insults. The Mayor acted as if the protesters didn't exist as he continued to finish his speech, his confident smile hovering over the animals he governed below.

The gleam of reflective sunlight caught North's eye and he winced, suddenly and slightly stunned by the flash. He tilted his head downwards to block sunlight with his hat as he quickly inspected the protesters below. North saw multiple protesters holding small stones in their paws as they bounced them above their head in sync with their nearly inaudible chants.

"Thank you, Zootopia!" The Mayor was finally finished with his speech as North noticed a masked Timberwolf lift weapon that resembled a T-shirt cannon out of a black backpack with one paw and held rocks with the other.

North quickly reached for his radio, a familiar spark of adrenaline igniting in his chest, "Olly, this is North. I see a masked Brown Timberwolf with a T-shirt cannon near the front of the group of protesters and he seems to be loading rocks into it, over."

He stared impatiently at the Timberwolf as he began to drop his multiple projectiles into his canon while a group of protesters failed to hide him by crowding him with signs.

After a small pause, Olly replied. "North, this is Olly. Where inside the group of protesters do you see the armed protester? Over."

North glanced over to Will, who seemed to be just as confused as Olly as the bunny stared out into the crowd with his ears pinned to the back of his head.

Quickly, North lifted a paw to point at the group of bouncing and multi-colored paper signs. The Wolf's head and black hat were just barely visible through the gaps between the mammals. "This is North. The Wolf is straight ahead of the mayor inside a circle of bright colored signs. I'm pointing straight at it, over."

He noticed the other guards' gaze's around him follow his paw, a few of them reaching for their radios.

"North, this is Olly. We see him and we're informing the ZPD. You and Will, take the Mayor inside and away from the protesters. Don't panic him. Over."

North quickly responded, the sounds of the crowd making it difficult to hear his radio. "Roger that, Olly." He hurriedly turned towards the Mayor as Will did the same.

"Mr. Mayor! We're going to bring you inside now." North tilted his head up to meet the Mayor's gaze.

Mayor Black simply nodded as if he already understood the situation. "Sounds good to me. I've finished the speech anyway." The Mayor's deep voice was barely audible over the protesters' megaphones as some of the crowd began to disperse.

The two other Guards from the front of the stage quickly moved to stand beside North and Will as they ushered the Mayor towards the second flight of steps.

North shuffled behind the Mayor with Will, giving the bunny a short nod as they reached the next steps.

Suddenly a dangerous 'thunk', and multiple war-like cheers erupted from the crowd behind the evacuating five mammals and North instinctively turned around to see what had gone off.

He immediately regretted his mistake when he saw a flash of grey before a rough projectile slammed into his forehead and knocked his hat off of his head with a painful thud.

"Ah, fuck!" He yelped in shock, throwing his paws to his head while he stuttered back into the steps from the sudden spike in pain and momentum that threatened to take away his balance. He could clearly hear the sound of more rocks landing just below the mayor clicked against the ground beside him as he struggled to come to sense at what had happened.

North managed to regain his balance by reaching out behind himself and gripping the steps, shaking his head in an attempt to regain his composer. "Goddamnit!"

 _A fuckin' rock! What the hell!_

He felt a paw grip his vest as Will came to his aid. "North! You good?" The Bunny slapped North's missing hat to his chest and he nodded, the sounds of the protesters cheers erupting through his ears as he took the hat back into his possession.

North lowered his paw from his forehead, his brow raising in an unsettled manner as he noticed blood dripping from his palm. He groaned in irritation and pain before pulling himself up to stand straight give his friend a short nod.

"I'm fine..." He quickly put his hat back between his ears, mostly to hide his injury, and turned to follow Will back up the stairs. He saw that the Mayor was already at the front door to the building and the two other Guards had escorted him to the top of the steps.

The other guards left the front doors to the City Hall open for Will and North as they hurried up the remaining steps and into the building. Will took a glance behind them as they reached the indoors before pushing the doors shut while North removed his hat, stared down at the floor and put his paw back on pulsating his forehead.

He growled quietly in agitation as he felt blood seep past his fingers and drip along his fur, muttering curses towards the protesters outside.

"Shit, dude! you're bleeding!" North lifted his gaze to meet Will's as he bounced in front of him, his eyes wide in concern.

North nodded in reply, his ears perking over his head as he noticed his blood had begun to drip and stain onto the smooth pearly floors. "Wow, Will... I didn't notice." He flattened his ears back behind his head as he replied sarcastically to his shorter friend.

Will only shook his head in response as he unclipped the standard issue first-aid kit from the back of his belt and unzipped the cover.

As Will began to burrow into the kit for sterile bandages, a bright flash from a few feet away stole North's attention. He blinked a few times to flush away the disorientation the light gave him and he glanced curiously over his shoulder with his paw still pressed to his forehead.

A slightly rounded Badger wearing a flannel shirt and khaki jeans stood with a camera pointed directly at both security guards, his paws placed over the shutter-release button and lens as he flashed a few more quick pictures.

North winced in an attempt to block out as much of the flash from the camera as possible, now noticing the swarm of reporters and journalists crowding the mayor that stood in the center of the large entrance way. The Timberwolf and Goat worked desperately to keep a safe perimeter around the large Black Bear as he casually answered the barrage of mixed questions from the many mammals around him.

Camera flashes, notebooks, and jumbled voices filled the room and it took North a few seconds before he heard Will's voice repeating his name.

"North! Hey, look down here!"

He glanced down at the Bunny, who was holding a roll of bandages in one paw and sterile wipes with the other, with a raised brow. "Oh, Sorry," North muttered almost to himself as he gently removed his bloodstained paw from his head. "I got distracted."

Will replied with a shrug and lifted his bandages above his head. "It's all good. Just kneel down so I can patch you up for the camera."

North did what the Bunny told him to do and took a knee beside his friend, perking his ears and removing his hat with his clean paw to give Will enough room for the bandages to be placed around his head.

The two ignored the occasional camera flash in their direction as Will began to wrap the bandages over North's injury. North closed his eyes as he felt the growing pressure squeeze gently around his head as Will wrapped the bandages around until the bleeding ceased bleeding through the white cloth. When Will was finally finished, he cut the bandage off from the roll and took a satisfied step back to inspect his work.

"There ya go! All done. Let's just hope you don't have a concussion." Will commented with a grin and a slight tilt of his head. North opened his eyes and lifted his paws to feel the bandages, nodding in agreement with his friend's statement.

"Well, I don't think I have a concussion." North stood back up and flattened his ears over the bandage, testing the restrictiveness of the material. "I think I'd be a lot more out of the loop if I did."

Will nodded and was about to reply before the sound of the front doors of the capital building opening interrupted him. Both North and Will glanced at the doors to see the remaining security teams shuffle into the room as the sound of an angry crowd burst in behind them. Olly followed behind the Chief as they both quickly jogged over to meet them.

"North! How're'ya feelin'?" Olly asked first as they came within talking distance. The slightly taller animal placed his paw on North's shoulder as he inspected the bandages around his forehead. "It looks like that rock nailed ya pretty good." Chief Wolfton went to stand beside Will, the Wolf's taller figure standing over him with a friendly but authoritative stance.

North nodded, rubbing a paw over his bandaged head. "Yeah, I didn't even see it coming."

The Chief replied next, "Well, it's a good thing you noticed the armed protester earlier. If we hadn't moved the Mayor, those rocks would have been able to hit him and possibly injure him." He lifted a paw to point at North's bandages, "Just like they injured you."

North shrugged and placed his hat back over his head and on top of his bandages. "Well, it's better that those rocks hit me instead of him."

Olly gave a friendly pat on his shoulder, his ears twitching slightly as he shook his head. "It would've been better if those damned rocks didn't hit anybody." North noticed a paramedic crew shuffle through the front doors, a small kit carried in an Antelope's hooves.

"We'll get you checked out and hopefully avoid a hospital bill." Olly grinned before taking a few steps back to allow the paramedics to get closer to North. The Chief and Will also took a few steps back and regrouped together with Olly behind the white-clothed mammals.

"It's a real mess out there, so we might need you back if the ZPD can't control the crowd." The Chief added before the Antelope carrying the larger first-aid kit knelt in front of North and stole his attention.

"Hi, my names Nathan Tallhorn. I'm a Paramedic for the Zootopia Hospital and I'm just gonna make sure you don't have any major head injuries, alright?"

"Sounds good to me." North nodded while the Nathan smiled professionally and began to unzip his first-aid kit while the other mammals in his crew began to check the mayor and other security officers.

The check-up seemed to last for a lifetime as North stood up straight and answered questions the Antelope had about headaches, medicine, sensitivity to light, and more while getting a light shined in his eyes and his bandages removed and replaced.

While he was getting inspected, he watched the ZNN on an overhead Tv screen on the wall across the room where a coverage of the dissipating crowd outside of the City Hall was being broadcasted.

Although he couldn't hear the Tv, he still studied the images with distracted curiosity.

Nearly halfway into the checkup while Nathan was removing Will's bandages, North noticed a video replay of rocks being shot out towards the steps of City Hall and the Mayor. He saw himself and the other security guards escorting the Bear up the steps and watched, almost humorously, as the rocks soared straight towards him. He nearly missed answering the Paramedics question about any headaches or pain as he watched video footage of a rock fly straight towards his head as he turned around.

North cringed as he saw the larger rock nail his past self straight in the middle of his forehead, sending him reeling off balance and throwing his hat off of his head and onto the steps from the sudden transfer of momentum. His face was scrunched up in shocked pain and his eyes were closed instinctively as he fell back against the steps. The video continued with Will coming to his aid and the Fox and Bunny pair quickly running up the steps.

A small caption beneath the video read, "Another Fox and Bunny duo?" while the Snow Leopard anchor appeared beside the continuing shaky footage of the cheering crowd.

 _That looks more painful than it actually felt..._ North thought to himself as Nathan replaced the bandages and continued on with his work.

After the paramedic was finished, they shook paws and parted ways. Nathan explained that North didn't show any signs of a concussion, but it "wasn't a bad idea to go and double check at the hospital," which is what he was expecting the Antelope to say. He was told to keep the bandage on for at least the rest of the day and to replace it if his wound continued to bleed.

Overall, he was A-Okay and was cleared for work after a mandatory day off. Either way, his next shift wasn't until the end of the week and was encouraged to take it easy until then.

North turned to go find his team but was surprised to see them waiting in a bench along the wall across from him. As soon as he turned, Olly and Will had stood up and began to walk in his direction.

"Alright! How're'ya feelin' North?" Olly asked as he crossed his arms. Will stuffed his paws in his pockets and tapped his foot quietly on the floor.

"Nathan said I was fine. He didn't see any signs of a concussion and I'm cleared for work the day after tomorrow." North grinned cheerily, which infected Olly and Will who returned the grin with either a smile or a smirk.

"That's good to hear!" Will's ears perked and he shifted the positioning of his belt on his waist.

"Too right," Olly added before moving beside North and ushering him towards the side exit of the building. "Well, all of the other teams are packing up and getting ready to leave so I think it's time for us to do the same."

North raised a brow at the Dingo. "Wait, so everything's all settled down?"

Olly nodded as they pushed through the exit door with Will close behind. "Yup! Now we're all gonna meet back up at the station and head home."

North sighed, relieved. He wasn't in the mood to deal with more protesters anyways. "Sounds good to me! All of this shit is making me tired."

"And sore!" Will chuckled from the back of the group as they made their way towards a set of parked blue jeeps. Other teams of security officer's stood patiently beside their designated vehicle while they waited for Olly's team. All of the teams were supposed to leave at the same time.

"No kidding..." North couldn't help but chuckle along with Will's little jab at his injury.

 _I'll definitely be feeling this in the morning..._

North was greeted by other guards with friendly pats on his back and the occasional, "You good?" to which he replied with a simple nod or thumbs up. The teams then loaded up and pulled out of the parking lot in single file, their matching vehicles giving the ZPA a professional look as they rolled out of their reserved parking and onto the streets of Zootopia, weaving through departing groups of mammals, for the drive home.

North stared out of his window, inspecting the still angry protesters who lifted the same hateful signs above their heads towards the security vehicles as they drove past. He also noticed the groups of non-protesters who would occasionally wave gratefully in the direction of the jeeps. It astonished North how to completely different sides could act towards a single group.

Will tore North's gaze away from his window with a tap on his shoulder and an excited, "North! Look at this!"

North leaned across the jeep to peer through Will's window to see a group of ZPD officers arresting a Brown Timberwolf with a make-shift cannon on the ground beside him. The two officers, a Fox and a Bunny that North immediately recognized forced the larger mammal to the ground as they handcuffed him and read his Miranda rights.

"Ha! Damn straight." He laughed victoriously at the sight as the Wolf and Officers soon slipped out of sight of the window. He gave Will a crisp high five before slumping back into his seat, a small smile hovering over his muzzle as he returned to staring out of the window.

 _Just the sight of that made this whole experience SO much better._

* * *

 _That's Chapter 14! Sorry if I took a long time to post it. I've had a lot going on so it's been difficult to write. I'm going to continue flip-flopping between continuing "Recollection" and "New Soil", so I apologize for the prolonged waits between chapters. Feel free to read my other story to make up for time between uploads! I tried to upload this chapter as fast as I could, so I apologize again if it lacked a little bit of extra story to it. I plan on continuing with his Class Reunion and bringing in new Characters into the mix, so I'll try and add a bit more to the story in the next few chapters._

 _I hope you enjoyed reading! Thanks and enjoy your day!_


	15. Sneak peak of: Class Reunion

_**Class Reunion**_

 _ **Chapter 15**_

 _(So, I've decided to post a small portion of what I've been writing for both of my stories due to the fact that I haven't posted in a few months. Please enjoy.)_

 _Before I start writing this, I would again like to apologize; Which I seem to be doing this a lot. Recently, I have been experiencing an EXTREME lack of motivation to continue writing any of my stories and I've started to feel guilty about it. I've been swarmed with lots of other important "bees-wax", late nights, and sickness and so I hope everyone can forgive me for the few months I've been inactive. If anyone has any tips for getting over being unmotivated, please feel free to share! I don't want my stories to crash and burn just because of my lazy ass being too much of a lazy ass to write. Thanks for understanding!_

 _So, to start things off exciting... I'll begin with some action. Now enjoy! (I apologize in advance for a terrible pun with a country's name. It'll only happen once, hopefully.)_

 _I'll do my best to post the rest of the chapter shortly. Sorry if I got your hopes up for a full chapter!_

Enjoy.

* * *

North could feel the heat of the burning Humvee nearly twenty yeards away boiling his sweat as smoke and dangerous orange flames licked the bright blue sky that had previously promised a beautiful day in the giant crosshairs of the dangerous country the world called Afgrowlistan.

The sounds of the flames sparking around the insides of the tipped vehicle mixed with the zips and cracks of bullets as North squatted behind the hood his own parked Humvee while he watched Corpsmen pulling out a crying Panther, his tears evaporating from the heat of the fire, from the vehicle as the melting mammal tried to drag himself free of his seat. He assumed most of the other's inside the vehicle were dead.

The shattering of glass from bullet slamming against the headlight of his squad's Humvee ripped his attention away from the suffering Marine as he flinched away from the flying glass.

"North! We need to get inside of this building!" Sergeant Wulf called out from behind him, grabbing him by the shoulder and North glanced back to see the wolf pointing across the street. "That's where it's all coming from!"

 _Goddamnit..._ North thought as he glanced through the window of the Humvee to see a cloth covered head pop over a mud-brick balcony on the second floor of the building his Sergeant planned to attack.

He heard Wulf turn away and individually tell the rest of the squad. Clawson was manning the Fifty-cal. on top of the Humvee as he sprayed hails of rounds at the surrounding buildings. The ambush had squished the patrol in a cramped city road, leaving them exposed to fire on both sides. Luckily, it seemed as if the attack from behind had been eliminated.

Wulf slammed a palm on the Humvee to let Clawson know that the squad was about to move and David replied with a thumbs up, aiming his weapon towards the house they intended to enter and spraying a few rounds at the walls.

Sparks and Lewy pressed against the opposite side of the Humvee and when there was a small pause in gunfire their direction, Wulf gave the signal to move up. "Go! Go! Go! Move your asses!"

North swung out from his place against the Humvee and made a dead spring against the uneven dirt road beside Wulf and Sparks; Lewy was staying behind with Clawson. He kept his head down at David's suppressive rounds send shards of the building dusting off and onto the helmets of the squad as they rushed towards the front wooden door.

North slammed into the wall beside it with a small grunt, using the solid support to stop his momentum. Wulf and Sparks did the same. The team made a breach into the house, Wulf quickly slamming the door down with a kick and North and Sparks rushing in behind him sweeping their M4s across the first floor.

"Clear!" Wulf said as the door landed on the ground in a puff of dust, landing on a colorful rug. The inside of the house was mostly empty. Dust from the commotion outside filtered through the broken or open windows and contaminated floor rugs and pillows as the Marines invaded deeper into the dark home.

North swung his rifle into the opening of a smaller room with no door, his heart pounding in his chest and into his ears as he inspected it. Nothing alive was inside. Only a storage of smooth pots and more rugs occupied the space. He sighed in relief. "Clear!" He called out before backing away and regrouping with Sparks who now stood by a set of stairs.

Wulf accompanied him and he nodded, a signal for them to move up. Sparks went first, his rifle aimed upwards while Wulf went next; North took up the rear. He tried to control his breathing and heart rate. He needed to stay calm. He could hear the attack continuing outside as Marines yelled and shot back at the buildings surrounding them. David's gun still sent rounds flying into nearby houses, reassuring North that his friend was still living.

A few muffled voices filtered through the banging of firing weapons upstairs, confirming that there was a threat on the upper level. North watched as Sparks took his first steps onto the upper level, the Cheetah quickly swinging his own M4 to the left and pulling it against his shoulder for support.

The flash of the rifle reached North's eyes before the sound smashed into his ears as Sparks suddenly released death on the inhabitants of the upper floor. Wulf was close behind, quickly joining Sparks in the spray of rounds.

North hurriedly shuffled behind them, pushing himself up the stairs beside Wulf in time to see an Elk and Coyote dressed in loose clothing and bloodied turbans crumple to the floor beside an open balcony. One didn't have most of his head to wear one anymore as the Coyote's body fell with his AKM rifle clutched in his brown paws and blood poured from his upper body. The Elk lay beside his fallen friend, his eyes staring coldly at the ceiling as he let out a last coughing breath before he went still. Blood dripped from the holes in his chest and blood stained the short balcony wall behind him and his comrade.

"Clear!"

Just as Sparks called out, North noticed out of the corner of his eye, a female Coyote dressed in normal Afghan attire rush out from one of the side rooms. He raised his rifle instinctively towards the Coyote, but she paid no attention to the marines as she screamed out in despair as she ran towards her fallen partner, tears streaming down the fur on her cheeks as she fell to her knees and hovered her paws over the disfigured male's body.

"Aw, shit," Wulf mumbled with mixed emotions covering his lowered tone. Flynn felt a stab of both guilt and sympathy for the Coyote. It wasn't her fault that her husband, brother, or friend had chosen to take part in the ambush.

He was about to ask what to do with her when he noticed the female lean towards the AKM, her cries of despair turning into indecipherable words of hate. He readjusted his M4, aiming through the sights at the female. "No! Leave that!"

Wulf and Sparks noticed her actions too and they quickly took a defensible step back, pointing their weapons towards the Coyote as she continued to fume hate with her language, her paws quickly curling around the handle of the weapon and her finger locking on the trigger as she went to pick it off of the dead Coyote's paws.

"Shit!" North yelled as she Coyote clumsily lifted the weapon and he instantaneously squeezed the trigger of his M4, releasing three rounds out of the chamber with loud and deadly cracks towards the female's hunched over form.

Two of the bullets slammed into the chest of the Coyote, sending her standing upward from the momentum and pain. The third bullet collided in between her eyes, killing her instantly. The momentum of the third round sent her head flying backward, pulling her body with it as she stumbled against the balcony's wall.

North watched in stunned silence as the female's body tipped over the side of the wall and fell off the side of the building and out sight, her long clothing folding around her body and hiding her face. He heard the thud of the body hitting the ground and the surprised call of a Marine that followed, "Holy shit!"

The group was shocked. North could feel their hesitation in the air as clearly as he could hear their slow breaths.

"Great shot, Furrs," Wulf said, smacking a paw on the fox's shoulder and breaking the silence as he cautiously shuffled forward towards the two remaining corpses. The silence of the building was filled in by the slowing sounds of the ambush outside. Fewer rounds were being shot off and the voices of Marines outside could be heard more clearly as they echoed off the walls of the town.

* * *

 _That's part of chapter 15! I hope it gets you semi-excited to read this story again. This chapter will be primarily focused on that class reunion email North received awhile back. I wanted to give out some content of this chapter without spoiling anything. Again, sorry for the long and continuous wait._

 _Enjoy your day!_


	16. Apologies

_I'd like to start off by saying that I apologize for not continuing this story. I'm not going to make up some excuse as to why I couldn't finish it, I just lost all motivation and I was never able to regain it. When I first began writing Recollection, I was super excited to try something new and to create my own story and characters that people could follow and be excited to read about. I loved reading all the reviews after publishing a story, they always made my day if they were positive, had ideas, or had constructive criticism. As time went on, I began to lose that excitement I had early on and that's why I started writing New Soil. I wanted something new and exciting to write to try and refresh my motivation to continue writing._

 _Unfortunately, I never regained that motivation and I feel like an ass for dropping these stories before finishing them. That's why I'm giving out my full permission to continue either one of my stories. Hopefully, someone who has more motivation than myself will continue Recollection or New Soil and make them better stories than I could have made them. If anyone would like any information on the stories, send me a message and I'll try and get back to you!_

 _With that being said, I hope everyone has a great day and I apologize once again for dropping these stories. Thank you so much for reading them! Maybe I'll try and write smaller stories in the future._

 _Thanks, apologies, and farewell,_

 _Pufflemuffin_


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